Liu Dan

signed in Chinese and marked with an artist seal, executed in 2014, framed

Private Collection, China

This work is generally in good condition.
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The rock which inspired Stone of Nature comes originally from the collection of Mr. Hugh Moss, Master of the Water, Pine & Stone Retreat. In 1991 Liu Dan spent a fortnight on vacation in the South of England with Mr. Moss. It was shortly before Liu's departure that Moss showed the artist the extraordinary stone.

Liu was already a highly accomplished artist by the 1980s, adept at controlling and adapting to diverging subjects and situations. After moving to New York, Liu began to focus on Modernism. During that period he lived somewhat as a hermit, reminiscent of the ancients, and possessed a  profound passion for collecting works of art. His aforementioned visit to England happened to coincide with his desire to find a unique stone to serve as a source of artistic inspiration. Having struggled in earnest to find a suitable object, he was completely taken by surprise when he was shown the extraordinary rock that belonged to Mr Moss. Liu later recalled, "it was like a dream, I wish we had met earlier".

Mr. Moss caught a glimpse of the bewildered look on Liu's face and proposed: "Would this stone serve as a source of inspiration for you? If so I would gladly part with this cherished possession."

Liu Dan exclaimed: "It is indeed my good fortune to be with you here. Perhaps this is what is known as fate."

In Pinyin, Stone of Nature is "Tian Lai Shi", which translates to mean, "Sound of Nature Stone". Such a name is appropriate for a mere stone for the following reasons. The rock itself, has several apertures and holes. When the surrounding environment is still, so is the stone; in a breeze, it responds with a gentle sound; in a stronger wind, it responds with a larger sound; then once the fierce gale stops, all the apertures of the rock return to stillness; this is called the Sound of Earth (as described in Zhuangzi's writing). Although the stone is not a living creature, it also has a life energy, and follows the great ways of universe. It is therefore possible to find intricate subtleties within a mere stone, from which the sound of nature may emerge.

After initially acquiring the "Stone of Nature", Liu Dan rarely separated from it, and observed it night and day. His artistic style also changed consequently, illustrating the  rare stones, each uniquely formed, which he started to collect, expressing his thoughts, ideas, pride, sorrow, longing and fears through his stone paintings.

It is truly fascinating to think of how the Stone of Nature not only set the modern master on a new artistic journey, in which he departed from many painting traditions, but also marked a philosophical starting point, as he began to cultivate the Taoist state where human and heaven become one.