Jiuzhaigou Valley Series: the Richness of Autumn at Mirror Lake

Liu Kuo-sung’s fascination with water led him to work on a special technique to capture the ever-changing and ethereal nature of water over the course of two decades. In the Steeped Ink series, he renders the surface of a body of water at different times of the year. Liu first applies ink and watercolour to moist tracing paper, before placing another sheet of tracing paper on top. He then sweeps the composition with a broad brush, leaving unpredictable horizontal patterns as the two sheets are separated from one another. Through variations of colour, paper thickness, and pressure of application, Liu’s Jiuzhaigou Valley Series: the Richness of Autumn at Mirror Lake portrays the soothing grace of an early autumn water, with subtle reflection of the foliage. By conveying the diverse energy of water and the environment reflected upon it, Liu shifts this often-neglected element to the centrepiece of Chinese landscape painting, altering the relationship between mountain and water in this traditional genre.