Draft:Liu Shiming

• Comment: It sounds like he should be notable, but almost all the sources are WP:PRIMARY. Find more secondary (magazine/book etc.) sources Sionk (talk) 18:43, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: The section titled 'Activities', which looks like a list of some sort, is causing a flag for copyright violations of this page. As lists of this kind could be seen as unduly promotional, my advice would be to remove the list from the article body, and maybe add a simple External Link at the bottom of the article linking to the said page. - Rich^T|C|E-Mail 02:28, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: The article would benefit from adopting a more encyclopedic tone, focusing on presenting facts and objective information. The passage that mentions Liu Shiming's work "Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water" describes it as "a very bold creation under the social environment of China at the time." This statement could be considered subjective and should be presented more objectively. Phrases like "full of emotion and childishness" and "vivid and spirited gestures" could be seen as subjective evaluations of his work. It's important to maintain a neutral tone. Jonatan Svensson Glad (talk) 19:04, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: First, is there some reason for "sculpture artist" rather than "sculptor"?
  Secondly, "In 2001, his work was included in the Chinese Contemporary Literary Artists" (et cetera et cetera). Is he one of five people, or one of five hundred; in other words, is this "inclusion" really significant? If it isn't, then cut it. If it is, then provide details of "the Chinese Contemporary Literary Artists". (If it's a book, then the ISBN. If it's a book without an ISBN, then an OCLC number. If it's not a book, then what is it?) Hoary (talk) 05:26, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Liu.

Liu Shiming (Chinese: 刘士铭; pinyin: Liú ShìMíng, born Tianjin, China; 1926 - 24 May, 2010) was a Chinese sculptor. He was the first generation of representative Chinese contemporary sculpture artists. He is well known for his sculpture works Measuring Land (1950), and Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water (1959), and Ansai Waist Drummer(1989). Liu graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1951.

Life

Born in an intellectual family in Tianjin, Liu Shiming moved to Tangshan in 1931 where he attended Fulun Primary School. In 1935, Liu moved back to Tianjin, and continued his studies at the First Primary School. Liu Shiming was admitted to the National Art School in Beiping (now the China Central Academy of Fine Arts) in 1946, one of the three earliest art academies in China. During his time at school, he was mentored by early Chinese artists such as Wang Linyi, Hua Tianyou, and Zeng Zhushao. In addition to intensive classical training, he studied modern French theory and technique, particularly the teachings of Auguste Rodin.

His work Measuring Land (1950) was the first sculpture to be exhibited abroad after the founding of new China. It was recognized and collected by the National Museum of Czechoslovak (now the Czech National Museum). In 1953, Liu was selected to join the relief group of the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tian'anmen and participated in the early work of the "Jintian Uprising" relief. In 1955, he was transferred to the China Sculpture Art Factory (later changed to the Sculpture Art Institute of CAFA) and completed the work "Splitting the Mountains to Let the Water Flow" (also known as Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water ) in 1959. Liu's work was displayed on behalf of China in the "Plastic Arts Exhibition by Socialist Countries" in the Soviet Union.

Despite his works in Beijing, Liu Shiming gave up the admiration he had garnered since graduating from CAFA. In 1961, having become enthralled with the slow rhythms of Henan opera, he requested permission to leave Beijing for Henan, later applying for a transfer to Baoding, Hebei. Liu left Beijing in the 1960s and continued his work in art museums and art institutes in Henan and Hebei province. After 1974, he retired early and returned to Beijing. Later, he worked in the National Museum of Chinese History (now the National Museum of China) for more than ten years on the restoration of cultural relics, which provided him with direct access to a large number of original traditional Chinese sculptures. This job had a great influence on Liu's style. He taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1980.

Liu Shiming's works are simple yet full of emotion and childishness. "Despite his recent success, Liu Shiming never lost his interest or devotion to traditional folk art. Rather than sculpture that aspired to attract followers of western modernism, Liu's primary audience came from everyday working class people living in rural areas.”Liu Shiming's work deviates from the style and aesthetics of other Chinese sculptors of the same era, instead combining modernist sensibilities with the folk traditions of Chinese art.

On June 28, 2018, Liu Shiming Sculpture Museum was established in Xiaoying Campus of Central Academy of Fine Arts, China.

In 2021, the Liu Shiming Art Foundation was founded in New York, United States.

Major Art Works

Measuring Land (丈量土地), 6.5 x 14.8 x 5.4 (in), Bronze, 1950

The work originated from the image of farmers enthusiastically measuring and calculating the land when Liu participated in the Land Reform Movement in the suburbs of Beijing in 1949. Through the localized roughness in the work, Liu hopes to embody the people's rough temperament and vivid spirituality. The sculpture was later selected to be sent to Prague and participated in a local exhibition, where it stayed after the show.[1]

Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water (劈山引水), 34 x 37.5 x 18 (in), Bronze, 1959

Created during the climax of the Great Leap Forward from 1958 to 1959, Liu was influenced by the Chinese folk songs that were popular at the time and sculpted this man from between two mountains. At the time, the traditional view at the Central Academy of Fine Arts was that sculptures should not represent environments; they should be focused on the figure. Pieces like Rodin’s The Thinker were considered as the true sculpture. Liu's work broke with this convention.

Ansai Waist Drummer (安塞腰鼓), 7.8 x 8 x 3.5 (in), Bronze, 1989

The Ansai Waist Drummer follows the momentum and boldness of the gesture. Liu believes that the vivid and spirited gestures are natural rather than artificial, embodying the spirit that has always characterized Liu's work, the pursuit of simplicity and innocent charm. "I initially named the work Lofty, as a symbol of the northwestern Chinese ethnicities, but I later changed the title to Ansai Waist Drummer".

External Links

• Liu Shiming Sculpture
• Liu Shiming Video
• Liu Shiming Sculpture Museum
• Liu Shiming Art Foundation

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibition

• Liu Shiming Exhibition (Passage Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing 1998)

• Indigenous Sculptures: Liu Shiming Solo Exhibition (Sculpture Art Institute of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing 2005)
• Liberal Wormwood (自在蓬蒿)—Liu Shiming's Solo Exhibition of Sculptures (National Art Museum of China, Beijing 2006)
• Dream Back Home (梦回故里): Liu Shiming’s Solo Exhibition of Sculptures (Henan Art Museum, Henan 2008)
• Departure and Return: Liu Shiming’s Sculpture New York City (Asian Cultural Center, New York Oct 28, 2019 - Nov 8, 2019)
• Kindness Expresses Truth and Love: Liu Shiming’s Sculpture (Asian Fusion Gallery, Washington, D.C. Nov 14, 2019 - Nov 27, 2019)
• Souls in the Clay: Liu Shiming’s Sculpture (Liu Shiming Sculpture Museum of CAFA, Beijing 2019)
• Liu Shiming: A Chinese Original (New Year Sculpture Exhibition) (The Oculus, World Trade Center, New York Jan 29, 2020 - Jan 31, 2020)

• Sculpting the Chinese Spirit: Vitality in Stillness ( Gallery RIVAA, Roosevelt Island, Mar 21,2022 - Jun 16, 2022)

• PASSAGES: SCULPTURE BY LIU SHIMING (Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College, Aug 18, 2022)
• Cutting Through Mountains to Bring Water: The Sculptures of Liu Shiming (Welch Gelleries, Georgia State University, Sep 21, 2022)
• Liu Shiming: Descending the Mountain Together (Margie E. West Gallery, Jan 09,2023 - Feb 03,2023)
• Liu Shiming: Life Gives Beauty Form (Mason Gross Galleries, New Brunswick, July 31 - Sept 22, 2023)
• In the Heart of the Bronze: A Liu Shiming Experience (John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, Oct 26 – Nov 16, 2023)

Group Exhibition

• Prague: World Student Gathering Art Exhibition ("Measuring Land "was exhibited, Beijing 1950)
• Volunteers Capturing the Wounded US Soldier (Xinhua Bookstore in Wangfujing, Beijing 1951)
• Plastic Arts Exhibition by Socialist Countries ("Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water" was exhibited, Soviet Union 1959)
• Jiao Yulu Exhibition ("Jiao Yulu" statue was exhibited, Zhengzhou 1966)
• 6th National Exhibition of Fine Arts ( "Cormorants" was selected, Beijing 1984)
• National Sculpture Design Exhibition ("Towards the Sun" was selected, Beijing 1984)
• July 1st Art Exhibition ("Under the Tree" was selected, Beijing 1986)
• Gansu Urban Sculpture Planning Exhibition ( "The Soaring Yellow River" and "Silk Road: The Camel" were selected, Gansu 1988)
• 7th National Exhibition of Fine Arts ("Ansai Waist Drummer" was selected, Beijing 1989)
• Asian Games Art Exhibition ( "Practicing Child" was selected, 1990)
• Art Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of the "Speech at the Yan'an Forum of Literature and Art" ( "Eternal Love: The Continuation of Life" was selected, Beijing 1992)
• 8th National Exhibition of Fine Arts ("Boatmen on the Yellow River" was selected, Beijing 1993)
• National Ceramic Art Touring Exhibition and European Touring Exhibition ("Boatmen on Yellow River" was selected, Beijing 1997)
• 9th National Exhibition of Fine Arts ("Mother" was selected, Beijing 1999)
• The exhibition program at Tsinghua University, which included a series of large-scale painting and calligraphy activities celebrating the 90th anniversary of Tsinghua University (work was selected, Beijing 2000)
•  the "Contemporary Artists Exhibition" at the National Museum of Chinese History (work was selected, Beijing 2001)
• The 5th National Sports Art Exhibition (work was selected, Beijing 2001)
• 2002 China Beijing International Urban Sculpture Exhibition (work was selected, Beijing 2002)
• "Cornerstone: Developments in 60 Years" Exhibition of Oil Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking (the work "Man with Boat and Cormorants" was selected, Beijing 2009)
• "Painting the Chinese Dream: An Exhibition Celebrating the 65th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China" ("Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water" was exhibited, Beijing 2014)
• "Where to Go" Sculpture Exhibition ("Boatmen on the Yellow River" and "Mountain Ghost" were exhibited, Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, Shanghai 2015)
• the large-scale contemporary art exhibition "The Endless Life: The Narrative of the Yellow River" ("Boatmen on the Yellow River" and "Sheepskin Raft" were exhibited, 2020)
• "The Greatest Changes in the Past 100 Years": The Sculpture Artworks Exhibition at the National Museum of China ("Cutting Through Mountains to Bring in Water", "Sheepskin Raft" and other works were exhibited, Beijing 2021)
• Sculpture Reveal @GS ( Florence Kopleff Recital Hall, Georgia State University, May 10, 2022)