A Multi-Analytical Investigation of Liu Kang’s Colour Palette and Painting Technique from the Shanghai Period (1933–1937)

Abstract

This study presents the analytical characterisation of Liu Kang’s paint mixtures and the painting technique used during the important Shanghai artistic phase (1933−1937). Liu Kang (1911–2004) was a Chinese artist who received an academic art education in Shanghai (1926–1928) and Paris (1929–1932). He settled permanently in Singapore in 1945 and became a leading contributor to the national art scene. This study showcases 12 paintings on canvas from the collections of the National Gallery Singapore and the Liu family. An integrated approach combined non- and micro-invasive analytical methods supplemented with archival sources and enabled characterising the investigated paint mixtures and revealing details of the artist’s painting technique. The study has proved the artist’s ability to produce a variety of hues by utilising a conventional palette of colours. The predilection for ultramarine, viridian, yellow and red iron-rich earth pigments, umber, yellow chromate pigments, as well as lead white, zinc white or Zn-base compounds like lithopone and barium white was recorded. The study emphasises a minor use of Prussian blue, emerald green, cadmium yellow or its variant and bone black. Although it remains unknown what brands of paints Liu Kang used, the available archival sources give insights into the painting materials available in Shanghai that the artist could have had at his disposal during the period under review. The archival information is based on the Chinese and overseas colourmen advertisements printed in Chinese journals and the respective contemporary colourmen catalogues. The artist’s painting technique departs from the experimental approach of his Paris phase. In Shanghai, he focused on synthesising the painting principles of the School of Paris with traditional Chinese calligraphy. The outcomes of this research may support future technical studies of works by other artists contemporary to Liu Kang and who were active in pre-war Shanghai.

New Insight into Liu Kang’s Village Scene (1931): A Non-Invasive Investigation by Technical Imaging

“…Since the paper is believed to have originated from Shanghai, it would be interesting to determine whether indigenous plant fibres are present. Moreover, identifying the pigments found in the chunks stuck in the impastos and cross-referencing them with Liu Kang's known pigment preferences in Paris and Shanghai [28][29][30]35] would enhance our understanding of the artwork that was placed over Village scene. In addition, analysing the reversed white ground fragments stuck in the impasto could yield valuable data.…”

“…The unprinted parts of the paper could be removed to reveal the original paint underneath, while the remaining printed paper could be left untreated as evidence of the painting's history. Therefore, it is crucial to consider these remnants in their historical context, as there is limited archival information about the artist's painting practice in Paris and Shanghai [23,[28][29][30]. Such an approach would be in line with the code of ethics of the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (UKIC), which advises conservators not to "undertake any treatment which is more extensive than necessary" [31].…”