Liu Yi was born in 1958 in Jiang Nan, Shanghai. The love for his hometown is hidden behind the beautiful garden scenes of his village and can be seen in paintings that show local folk customs. The artist’s sentimental interpretation of rainy, misty atmosphere and picturesque landscapes of his surroundings became his signature style. Yi graduated fine arts at the Hua Dong University of Education and later finished postgraduate studies of watercolor paintings at the China College of Fine Arts. He truly believes that artists should emphasize individualism, and find inspirational subjects or objects in accordance with their interests and aesthetics, in order to express themselves in a best possible way. He thinks that his apprehension of the water as ‘the harmony of men with nature’ is the essence of Chinese philosophy.
The artist’s sentimental interpretation of rainy, misty atmosphere and picturesque landscapes of his surroundings became his signature style