Liu Kuo Song lived his life as an artist on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, on a path that began in Taiwan but would later take him to Hong Kong and beyond. He drew creative energy from his long study of both Eastern and Western painting, through which he discovered the essence of modern art and created new concepts for Chinese ink painting. Liu broke through the limitations of the ink medium by utilizing a number of innovative techniques. Among them was his bo pi chou jin texture technique, his most noted breakthrough, in which thick fibers are plucked from a special handmade paper after ink has been applied to create mottled, textured effects. Regardless of the varying techniques applied during any particular period, these bo pi chou jin textural effects have remained a consistent feature of Liu's work.

Liu's work has focused largely on five main themes: abstract paintings, based on very free kuang cao calligraphy; his Space Series; his shui tuo, or "water rubbing" series; his zi mo, or "steeped ink" series; and his Tibetan Suite Series. Liu's Shifting of the Moon (Lot 167) which dates from 2007, is a major recent work and an extension of his Space Series.

Liu's Space Series reflects the inspiration that the artist found in the US Apollo moon landings of the late 1960s, after which he continued to produce works that further explored the mysteries of the universe. The success of this series earned him a reputation in the US as one of "the most sensitive contemporary artists." In depicting stellar bodies in motion in Shifting of the Moon, Liu employs a variety of techniques to provide viewers with a richly textured and layered sensory experience. Unlike the lower sections of the work, a collage technique is used to depict the moons in the upper half, further enhancing the painting's textures; a flat, round sphere moves from a darker to a lighter shade of red, after which a full moon appears, then another moon appears in shades of red from light to dark. This meticulous layering of colours encourages the viewer's eye to move among them, suggesting the waxing and waning of the moon and the unending cycles of renewal and new life. In addition, Liu also employs his bo pi chou jin technique in the lower half of the painting. Once the paper threads have been pulled out, the sharp contrasts between the ink and the stark white of the paper create strong visual impact, while the halo that edges the rim of the globe exudes a sense of sublime peace. We seem to be viewing this scene from somewhere in space, far above the Earth, which draws us into the world of nature and places us on an equal footing with everything in the universe. The painting aptly expresses this peaceful state of transcendence, in which "the heavens and the earth come into being with me, and I am one with all things."