A painter whose style continues to sing

Vivid strokes of color are the immortal legacy of a centenarian master of ink, Lin Qi reports.

The secrets of longevity vary from person to person. For Liu Bojun, the ink artist who passed away in May at the age of 102, a positive attitude and an embrace of optimism and art were among the factors that ensured he endured through trials and tribulations.

Mostly living and working in his native Sichuan province, Liu gained a reputation in the realm of Chinese painting. He left an oeuvre in the flower-and-bird style of ink paintings, marked by their vibrant colors and vivid depictions done in the loose and carefree xieyi (literally "drawing spirit") approach to brushwork.

Liu continued to paint regularly into his late 90s, and even took up the brush earlier this year.