This approach has been at the heart of Liu's work, which feature a vibrant palette and animated lines. His ongoing retrospective exhibition at Tsinghua University Art Museum, I Was Born Free, through May 5, encompasses 120 paintings that reflect his pursuit of eternal beauty.

After graduation, Liu moved to Southwest China's Yunnan province and later onto South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Inspired by the grand landscapes and diverse ethnic cultures there, he produced a number of eye-catching paintings and drawings which are exuberant with vibrancy. He meanwhile incorporates elements from modern art movements, such as cubism and fauvism, to adopt strong colors, exaggerated forms and carefree lines.

Liu revisits the motifs of the dense trees and mystical forests of Yunnan, where he taught from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He says he was drawn to depicting the wild landscapes as he sensed a courageous and daring spirit when he sketched and observed the rainforests there.