刘万鸣是我国知名的画家，作品以花鸟走兽为主，擅用传统笔意表达对生活的细致观察。他的大小画作旨在展现人与自然的和谐。刘万鸣现任中国国家博物馆副馆长一职，大部分时间里，他都致力于研究探索传统中国绘画艺术。
Taking flowers, birds, and land animals as his main subjects, Chinese painter Liu Wanming creates art based on traditional Chinese methods and a meticulous observation of life. Both his large-scale paintings and smaller sketches seek to present the harmony between humans and nature.
Recently Liu appeared in an episode of “Meet the Masters”, which offered a glimpse into the venerable artist’s career and presented his views on art to a global audience.
刘万鸣于1968年出生在一个河北农民家庭。河边的花草树木，河里的虾蟹鱼蛙都是他童年的玩伴，大自然在他的生命中留下了深深的烙印。他的母亲是村里闻名远近的巧手，擅长剪纸、描花等民间艺术，耳濡目染，儿时的刘万鸣也喜欢上了画画儿，很小的时候，他就显露出了敏锐的观察力和对绘画的热情。
刘万鸣年幼时，喜欢用窗户纸临摹连环画《三国演义》、《西游记》里的场景，把自己的画给学校的小伙伴们传阅，乐此不疲。刘万鸣的母亲十分支持他对绘画艺术的追求，他对母亲的情感也折射在了日后的绘画作品中。刘万鸣认为，母子情深主题的画作里，最重要的是眼神。眼睛的交流是很难用语言表达的，而画作可以将它生动地体现出来。
Liu Wanming was born in 1968. Growing up in the countryside, he didn’t have access to many picture books. So, he created his own by copying illustrations using window paper and passed the booklet among his peers. This ignited Liu’s passion for art, which was further influenced by his mother’s skill in embroidery, paper cutting, and drawing.
Liu’s deep affection for his mother was later reflected in his artworks. In portraying the mother-child relationship among animals, Liu pays close attention to the detail, especially in the eye contact between his subjects. He thinks that the deep love between a mother and child is difficult to convey through words, and better expressed through paintings.
虽然得到了母亲的支持，刘万鸣的父亲并不赞成他画画。年轻的刘万鸣瞒着家人，给天津美术学院的老师郑重地写了一封信，表达了自己对绘画的渴望和当下的困境。
这封求助的信寄出后，他竟然收到了几本珍贵的画册、画材和一封情真意切的回信，这对于他来说简直如获至宝。信中人就是时任天津美术学院的副院长张蒲生。少年刘万鸣备受感动，更加坚定了对绘画的热爱。经过不懈的努力，刘万鸣于1985年如愿考入天津美术学院。他非常珍惜这个来之不易的机会，如饥似渴地学习着绘画理论、美学原理，心无旁骛地徜徉在艺术的世界里。
From a young age, Liu’s father disapproved of his artistic passion. Yet Liu remained undeterred, and secretly wrote a letter to the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, expressing his love for painting and lamenting his lack of resources. The heartfelt reply from the then Deputy Dean Zhang Pusheng came as a surprise to him.
Thanks to the encouraging letter, Liu overcame many difficulties and was admitted to the school of his dreams in 1985. Under the guidance of Zhang Pusheng, Liu studied Chinese painting theory, which he believes is the foundation of art.
1995年，醉心于画论研究的刘万鸣，进入中国艺术研究院研究生院学习。刘万鸣接触到了徐书城、邓福兴、陈寿祥、陈醉等著名理论家。在此期间，刘万鸣开始更加推崇宋元绘画的笔墨精神，后逐渐树立起对“意笔精微”的追求。“意笔”是指写意和工笔的结合。刘万鸣说，意笔融为一体，就是工与写的关系不分家。比如说在画皮毛的时候，讲究书法用笔，层层叠加加，同时让它有一种透气感，包括它边缘的毛皮都是这种很精致的很慢的用笔。
In 1995, while furthering his studies at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Liu Wanming came into contact with many renowned Chinese painting theorists and began to appreciate the art from the Song and Yuan dynasties.
Since graduating, he has been delving into traditional Chinese painting for most of his life. Liu Wanming is adept at portraying the natural world. Integrating theory and practice, his artworks pursue what he calls the "refined and subtle."
从中国艺术研究院研究生院学习后，刘万鸣不断探索当代绘画的主题创作，不仅聚焦传统山水花鸟的创作，还扎根生活，寄情于民。他作为第一作者创作的《西电东送 西气东输工程》、《黄河摆渡人》、《南水北调》等主题性创作，体现出了一位艺术家的家国情怀和时代担当。
Through a meticulous observation of everyday life, painter and calligrapher Liu Wanming shows the spirit of the times rooted in life and people. " My painting style pursues the 'refined and subtle.' It has the characteristics of both freehand brushwork and meticulous brushwork," he said.
Many of Liu's paintings take inspiration from scenes of everyday life and nature, artfully showcasing a sense of poetic serenity. His signature flower-and-bird paintings are often seen as a homage to the times. Through years of practice and accumulated knowledge, Liu Wanming has continued to explore the thematic creation of contemporary paintings.
目前，刘万鸣既是画家，也是中国国家博物馆的副馆长。中国国家博物馆馆藏143万余件文物，堪称是艺术殿堂。在这样的环境里工作，让刘万鸣的绘画创作受益匪浅，也使他的创作心境发生了变化。刘万鸣说：“情怀就决定你所创作的绘画的境界的大小。所以说，我想培养我们的这种大境界大格局，作为绘画创作者，我认为是非常重要的。”汲古开今，守正创新，中国画的传统从未中断。刘万鸣认为，从古师古是绘画的路径，只有在传统和创新的基础上，才能真正创作出符合时代精神的作品。
Liu Wanming is currently serving as the Deputy Director of the National Museum of China, which is widely regarded as a treasure trove of culture. He says working in such an environment has had a positive impact on his artistic creations.
By exposing himself into a wider range of cultural and historical masterpieces, Liu’s state of mind and his work have shifted. “Understanding and appreciating traditional culture and art is the foundation of creation,” he said.
While studying painting theory has injected vitality into his creations, his passion for art and life have also fueled his lifelong artistic career. Liu believes that only by combining tradition and innovation can artists truly create works that reflect the spirit of the times.
