The countless artistic summits achieved by past masters stand both as the foundation upon which later generations ascend and as the greatest challenge they must ultimately surpass. For contemporary painters devoted to landscape, the journey demands first entering deeply into the traditions of the past, and then finding the strength to move beyond them in search of a distinctly modern expression.

“Do not tire of humble beginnings among your peers;

 Even in old age, countless bundles of firewood await your gathering.

 I recall the days of drifting the rivers and lakes in a lone fishing boat,

 With endless mountains and clouds offering themselves to my brush.”

—Su Shi, Song Dynasty poet

From Living Land: The Oil Paintings of Liu Jiutong