Dialogue between Moon and Wind

This painting is part of Liu’s “space painting” series from 1969 to 1972, when the artist embarked on a new artistic journey by incorporating Western ideas and abstract techniques into Chinese painting traditions. Influenced by photographs of the earth and moon sent back from the Apollo 7 Mission (1968), which was widely shown on TV and in newspapers, Liu began to incorporate circles and spheres into his already abstract compositions. Liu created some three hundred works in similar styles, and this distinctive exploration of outer space as a creative source marked an inspiring step forward in the modernization of Chinese ink painting.