"Seek first to be unique, and then to be excellent." Artist Liu Kuo-sung imparted this maxim to his students in a bid to cultivate an ethos of experimentation, which he saw as fundamental to artistic creation. This bilingual research monograph explores how this pioneering figure of modern ink applies the same approach to his own practice: through experiments with brushless methods and the materiality of ink and paper, Liu has forged new ways of thinking about the legacy of Chinese ink painting. Published on the occasion of a retrospective exhibition at National Gallery Singapore, this catalogue features five newly commissioned essays by renowned scholars, an interview with Liu, and over 60 full-colour image plates of Liu's works. A section with rare archival materials-many published for the first time-charts how Liu explored and advocated for the modernisation of Chinese ink painting over the span of his 70-year career. *** “先求异,再求好”——刘国松以此寄语鼓励学生培养实验精神作为艺术创作的 核心。此中英双语专着探讨了这位现代水墨艺术先驱如何在实践中将这一理念贯 彻始终。通过非传统笔墨技法和水墨纸张媒介的实验,刘国松提供了开拓中国画 发展的新思路。 本图录配合新加坡国家美术馆为刘国松举办的回顾展而出版,其中收录了五 篇由著名学者撰写的专文,与艺术家的访谈录一篇,逾六十件作品的彩色图版及 诸多首次出版的珍贵文献。这些文献展示了刘国松在七十年的艺术生涯中探索和 倡导中国水墨画现代化的历程。