Aroma of ink

The Chinese term, cuzhi daye, literally meaning thick stems and broad leaves, can also imply carelessness and boorishness. In his 1980 painting, Lotus of Thick Stems and Big Leaves, late ink master Liu Haisu applied bold strokes and smudged color, seemingly in a crude manner, to depict a lotus pool view with vigor and poetic resonance.

The Liu Haisu Art Museum in Shanghai, where Liu lived and worked, on Thursday opened a long-awaited exhibition, Scenting the Trail, surveying his explorations in the flower-and-bird style of classic Chinese painting. Works on show, including Lotus of Thick Stems and Big Leaves, feature ink as well as oil, reflecting Liu's pioneering effort to blend Eastern and Western art traditions.

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