LIU DAN (B. 1953)

Sitting gracefully at the bottom of this long and narrow composition, Liu Dan's scholar rock reflects a microscopic world view. Liu often states his appreciation of the scholar's object, for it enables him to connect to the wider cosmos through contemplation of its organic form. The detailed and intimate configuration of Returning Home also reminds viewer of the artist's passion in Renaissance drawing, a form of art that is intended for private study and pleasure before a formal painting is executed. Although the work is not dated, it corresponds to Liu's style from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.