Salt of the earth

"He hailed from the working class, and he spared no effort to praise them in his work," Fan says.

"He sought no fame or fortune. He preferred to be far away from the spotlight and retreat to a world of his own for inner exploration. His art is deeply rooted in the soil of China's folk art and culture, especially those that were preserved in the countryside. He was nurtured with the brilliance of folk sculptures, and he opened his mind and heart to embrace the plain lifestyle of rural China and to feel its atmosphere.

"He therefore established a distinguished approach to art imbued with the delight of life, the emotional touch of shaping pottery with one's fingers and the warmth of the clay. By doing so, he also developed the 'Chinese methods' of sculpting."

Sculptor Wang Shaojun, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says the opening of the exhibition and the gallery named after Liu is the beginning of a new course in which homegrown artists can learn from Liu's experiences. They can create work that also carries the cultural DNA of China and offers insightful perspectives into the realities and welfare of its people.

Liu once said: "Someday, after I die, my friends will have the opportunity to see my works and talk with them in silence. That will be lovely."