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Lot Essay
Although Liu Dan came to fame for his flower, rock and landscape paintings, he also depicted a small number of works with other subjects in his career. A small dictionary, a bamboo cabinet, and a brush pot – these objects push Liu Dan’s artistic practice out of its comfort zone.
The exceptionally rare ceramic brush pot, made at the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng period (1723-35), has realistic wood effects and a panoramic landscape painted on its ceramic surface thanks to technological advances and the new colours developed at the time. By depicting this wooden-looking ceramic brush pot in seemingly photorealistic detail, the audience is further confused about whether the brush pot is made of wood or ceramic. This painting expresses the artist’s dilemma between reality and uncertainty, shown through his utmost discipline in his practice, superb virtuosity and an eye for the extraordinary.
Liu Dan sees mystery and uncertainty in these objects. He once commented when asked why he chose a particular subject for his painting, ‘There is only one criterion for selection: whether it brings for me elements of uncertainty. The function of art is to make one leave behind the “certainties” in life and enter a state of “uncertainty”.’ He does this by decontextualizing and reconfiguring his subjects into life-size paintings with the help of observation and imagination. This way, he removes the original meaning of his subject, and his paintings become a mindful reconstruction and an unadulterated visual experience. What we see is almost like a hallucination, a likeness almost more beautiful than reality, a new life augmented on paper.
‘Your one responsibility as an artist is changing the visual experience of people, the way they look at things. Your one purpose is to encourage an openness of mind that allows them to look beyond everyday concerns and think freely.’ – Liu Dan
The exceptionally rare ceramic brush pot, made at the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng period (1723-35), has realistic wood effects and a panoramic landscape painted on its ceramic surface thanks to technological advances and the new colours developed at the time. By depicting this wooden-looking ceramic brush pot in seemingly photorealistic detail, the audience is further confused about whether the brush pot is made of wood or ceramic. This painting expresses the artist’s dilemma between reality and uncertainty, shown through his utmost discipline in his practice, superb virtuosity and an eye for the extraordinary.
Liu Dan sees mystery and uncertainty in these objects. He once commented when asked why he chose a particular subject for his painting, ‘There is only one criterion for selection: whether it brings for me elements of uncertainty. The function of art is to make one leave behind the “certainties” in life and enter a state of “uncertainty”.’ He does this by decontextualizing and reconfiguring his subjects into life-size paintings with the help of observation and imagination. This way, he removes the original meaning of his subject, and his paintings become a mindful reconstruction and an unadulterated visual experience. What we see is almost like a hallucination, a likeness almost more beautiful than reality, a new life augmented on paper.
‘Your one responsibility as an artist is changing the visual experience of people, the way they look at things. Your one purpose is to encourage an openness of mind that allows them to look beyond everyday concerns and think freely.’ – Liu Dan