One of artist Max Liu's (
Liu became something of a legendary public figure in the 1970s, when he ventured into the wilderness of Africa, Central and South America and the islands of Southeast Asia to study indigenous cultures. Travel abroad at that time was restricted and most Taiwanese had little awareness of the world beyond their borders, much less cultures in far-off places like Africa.
Liu spent a large part of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s traveling to these parts of the world, learning about the cultures he visited and studying their art, and at the same time gathering inspiration for his own works.
At the opening of his exhibition at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Liu, 89, was still the jovial old man that people remember from when he first grabbed headlines. He still wears his khaki explorer's suit, complete with a canvas hat, lugs a large backpack and often has a pipe hanging out the side of his mouth.
Liu was last in the spotlight in April, when he launched a new book about his son Nelson Liu (
The urge for adventure has evidently rubbed off on his children. Many remember a quote of Liu's from decades ago: "Some people do not like owls, thinking of them as spooky, but I don't care. I love owls. They are a revelation to me -- they leave their nests before they learn to fly."
Man of all trades
With his quick wit and easy-going personality, people often overlook the depth of this man's career. Liu is a painter, explorer, anthropologist, translator, environmentalist and college professor, all of which are fields in which he taught himself after leaving his initial career as an engineer. Liu opened his first solo exhibition in 1979 and since then, has exhibited around Asia and the US. He has authored and translated more than 30 books, mostly on watercolor painting and studies of indigenous cultures.
Liu's life has been a series of relocations and adventures. He was born in Guangzhou, China in 1912, the year the ROC was founded, and moved to Japan at the age of 9 with his family to escape creditors after his father's tea business collapsed. He spent his adolescent life in Japan until he finished an engineering degree. Following the end of World War II he returned to China to teach at a university in Guangzhou.
At 34, he came to Taiwan to work as an engineer, but soon became disillusioned with his career. He started to find a new direction in art, though he only considered drawing a pastime that he could follow during retirement. Becoming a professional artist was not an ambition he seriously considered. Five years later, though, one of his paintings of a Confucian temple won an award in a national art competition, providing the boost to his morale that moved him toward art as a new career.
Art would have to wait, however, when, in 1965, Liu took a job in Vietnam, where he stayed for three years, working as an engineer for the US forces there. At the same time he collected artifacts and did sketches in the field, which helped arouse his interest in indigenous cultures.
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