Old Pine on the Cliff

Born in 1944 in Wusheng, Sichuan province, Luo Jianwu grew up in Taichung and graduated from the National Art Institute of Taipei in 1966. In 1987 Luo moved to New York for over a decade and eventually relocated back to China. Luo’s paintings of mountains and old trees evoke a deep connection between himself and nature. Luo is a self-taught artist in the ink and brush genre. He mastered his skills through meticulous observation and ceaseless practice, having spent many hours at the National Palace Museum studying classical Chinese paintings. Although Luo’s works suggest a strong influence by Song, Yuan and Ming painterly styles, his compositions and his realistic approach in depicting rocks and tree branches show his earlier training in Western art and his will to instil new elements to traditional ink paintings.