Looking back at the work of a self-taught master

Leopards and lions, tigers and zebras, these are images showcased in a retrospective of the popular artist-cum-explorer who captures the primal instincts of wild life on canvas.

Liu Chi-wei (劉其偉), also known as Max Liu, is exhibiting his talents through 23 watercolor, 15 stone etching, and five multimedia pieces. The exhibit items are mostly on loan from Capital Arts Center (首都藝術中心) and date as far back as 1991. Being quite an extensive traveler, with a particular interest in regions such as Africa and the tropical islands, Liu has filled his show with abundant images of wild life, which mirror his adventures into the heart of nature.

Visitors to the show will also see Liu's loveable signature invention of the Po You Niau (婆憂鳥), a chubby, oval-shaped little bird in black and red. Titled Call of the Twilight, the piece features the bird standing alone and hemmed in by a dark, grey background. Liu created the bird in memory of his grandmother who passed away. In Chinese, Po You Niau literally means "grandmother-worry-bird" and is suggestive of a grandmother who cared for him.

A self-taught artist, Liu found Picasso and Paul Klee the kind of artists he can identify with. Liu uses the hieroglyphic, totem-like style of Klee, whose art has an air of innocence contrasted with sophistication. Some of Liu's portraits look impressionistic, with lines smoothly blending into images. Others are expressionistic in nature, displaying simplified images that look semi-abstract, imaginative and mystical. Liu's portraits of wild life are innocent looking and his portraits of people and folk gods are humorous. Both exude a sense of warmth, and are modest, not imposing, just like the artist himself.

In terms of technique, Liu is experimental, reaching out beyond conventional methods such as watercolor. He paints on all kinds of paper and experiments with a variety of materials, ranging from acrylic and crayon to graphite and resin. Liu's multimedia pieces on view at the show are cutting-edge, infusing watercolor and oil on cotton canvas, an innovation that enhances a traditional medium.

The senior master artist himself is somewhat of a legendary character. As old as the Republic of China, he fought in World War II, started to paint at 40 when his career as an engineer stagnated, and turned to study anthropology at 60. Liu has spent the latter half of his life traveling, painting and studying. At the same time, the subjects for his artistic creation became part of how he shapes the wisdom of life. The owl, for example, is one of those creatures that has taught the persistent painter to endure the hardship in life. "Unlike most people who shun away from owls for their predatory stares, I think otherwise," said Liu, "because they inspire my lifetime motto -- leaving the comfort of a nest before one has time to learn to take flight."

Liu never studied under a master. He learned everything about art by himself. He reads Paul Klee, and takes his words as maxim to form his philosophy on art. "Painting is not about painting what you see, but rather what's in your mind," Liu said. "And technique is not so important as imagination." Liu's ideas about modern art as instinctive, sensual, and genuine, as opposed to the classical works tending to be retrospective and rational, lead him to seek subjects in remote places. His trips started as early as the 1960s to Southeast Asia to more recently the wildness of Africa. The 1980s was a major step in the artist's transition into a simplistic style; it also marked his enchantment with primitive art.