Listening to "The Songs of Nature

By Joe Dwyer     3/19/09 7:00pm

With all the events, meetings and receptions held in Farnsworth Pavilion, it is sometimes hard to remember that it also serves as an art gallery from time to time. But from now until next Wednesday, artist Charles Liu is showcasing some of his work in an exhibition titled "The Songs of Nature," a stunning collection of landscape and nature-themed ink drawings on rice paper. The artwork covers all the walls around Farnsworth, with one particular panel painting, aptly titled "Big Falls," taking up an entire wall by itself. Each wall takes on a theme of its own that changes as you move around the room.

Starting to the right of the entrance and moving counterclockwise, the first wall consists mainly of paintings of snow-covered mountain peaks. Most are done with black ink on white paper, but Liu still manages to achieve an incredible amount of detail and definition in the image. In a couple of paintings he adds several strokes of color to give warmth to the otherwise austere setting.

Moving to the next wall, there are four larger paintings: Two of them, "Autumn Falls" and "Waterfall" depict falling water, while "High Clouds" and "Red Land" show clouds rolling through the sky above a group of bare trees and a barren desert setting. The most striking painting of the show would have to be "Waterfall," which shows a mighty waterfall rumbling over the edge of a towering cliff.

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All of Liu's paintings appear to be a jumble of strokes and splotches up close, but when viewed from the right distance they become almost photorealistic.

The third wall is covered by "Big Falls," a four-panel painting depicting a large waterfall running through the middle of a tranquil wooded forest. "Big Falls" is perhaps the best example of Liu's "Oriental philosophy," the theme that he says runs through all his work and gives it a distinct Asian flavor.

"I think in more Oriental philosophy, about what we think about in nature, and so for most of my ink paintings - even when I use a photo of Western art or a Western landscape - I still use some kind of Oriental philosophy in my work," he said.

The final wall holds three large paintings, one of which, "Terraced Field," is perhaps the most abstract in the entire exhibit. At first it appears to be a school of fish swimming in a stream, but after reading the title and then taking a step back, the individual paddies in the field become visible. The other two paintings, "Snow Mountain 94-I" and "Dance of Water II," are both hyperreal and would not look out of place in National Geographic.

Since Farnsworth is a multipurpose space, much of the artwork is unfortunately obscured or blocked throughout the day. When I came to see the exhibit, a projector screen was covering the second wall and tables and chairs scattered throughout the space made taking in the art a bit of a hassle. That shouldn't discourage you from making the trip to see it, as this breathtaking and diverse collection of art is well worth the short walk over to the student center.

"I think the world needs more multi-culturality," Liu said. "Just like we have Chinese, Japanese, Italian or fast food . it just makes the world more rich. If everyone uses the same thing, all hamburgers with no other choice, I think that is quite boring."

Liu has shown his art in places such as Spain, China, Taiwan and the United States. While coming to Rice seemed like an interesting choice for Liu, his wife, Shirley, works in the same lab that developed BioBeer.

"I just moved from Chicago to Houston three years ago, so I thought, 'Why not have a show at Rice University so students, professors and also my wife can take a look at my work?'" Liu said.

There will be a reception for the exhibit in Farnsworth on Monday from 5-7 p.m., where Liu will be available to speak about his work.

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