Magnificent Hills and Pine

Whilst inspired by Northern Song landscape paintings Li continuously modernises his style, employing methods such as splashed ink and abstract expressionism. His works contrast meticulous (gongbi) and expressive (xieyi) brushwork within the same composition, embodying the elegance and subtlety of classical Chinese ink paintings with a splurge of light, space and energy unseen in the genre. This is partly impacted by his experience of living in the United States: in 1982 he left China for San Francisco to study at the San Francisco Academy of Art University where he received training in Western art, obtaining a degree in 1984. It was here that he began to see the connection between American abstract expressionism and the splashed ink technique. To create the architectonic formations of grotesque mountains and cliffs in his works, Li splashes ink onto paper, allowing it to flow freely to form the underlying composition – a process most notably associated with Zhang Daqian.

In Magnificent Hills and Pine, the composition confronts the viewers with the sublimity of nature. The struggle and vitality of the pine trees are rendered painstakingly, propelling the viewer into a philosophical reflection on individual existence within the vastness of the universe. As Li Huayi writes, ‘the beauty of landscape has to be in sync with one’s emotions. When one walks away from the scenery, the transient beauty of becomes impossible to experience fully like the flowing mist and clouds. Every moment in time and space creates new artistic conceptions.’