Sailboats by the Rocks

Lui Shou Kwan moved to Hong Kong from Guangzhou in 1948. His interest in Chinese paintings was cultivated by his father who was also a Chinese painter. Despite training in economics, Lui was determined to become an artist. He worked in the Hong Kong and Yaumatei Ferry Company as an inspector as well as working part-time as an artist, teacher and writer for art-related publications. Lui Shou Kwan's unique style emerged from his extensive knowledge of Chinese art history and classical ink painting technique. In the 1960s, he reached the peak of his career with a series of abstract paintings, the Zen series, characterised by broad and free calligraphic brushstrokes and ink washes. A sense of tradition echoes in all of Lui's works, exhibited in Taoist and Buddhist motifs such as lotus and flames or landscapes of Hong Kong. This universal and spiritual dimension gives his paintings a timeless appeal.