Professor Jun-Cheng Liu began his career at Franklin & Marshall in 1997 and brought exceptional talent to teaching courses in drawing and painting. He was trained in both traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, as well as Western oil painting, at the Lu Xun Fine Arts Academy in Liaoning, China, where he earned both B.A. and MFA degrees. Professor Liu continued the study of Western oil painting for a second MFA at East Texas State University.

When Professor Liu arrived at Franklin & Marshall, he painted in an extremely realistic style known as trompe-l’oeil painting that literally tricks the viewer’s eye and mind into thinking what is on the surface is real. These mesmerizing paintings were often layered compositions, featuring envelopes with addresses, written mementos, and little drawings. At that time, he also was painting portraits with the same piercing realism.

Professor Liu has kept growing as an artist in inventive ways. He has taken up new means and themes, including making sculptural works from shaped, thin planes of wood to form ideographic characters referring back to the origins of Chinese writing.

Beyond foundational courses in studio art, Professor Liu developed the popular course “Chinese Ink & Brush,” in which he leads students, some of whom have never studied Chinese, into the world of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting. He surprises students by the level of skill they achieve by the semester’s end. As one student commented, “He provides a wonderful example of a professional artist. His courses not only provided me with valuable technical instruction, but also with spiritual instruction which has guided my own art-making.”

In recognition of his gifted teaching and his strong record of exhibition, in 2022 Professor Liu was awarded the endowed chair of Arthur & Katherine Shadek Humanities Professor of Art.

Jun-Cheng Liu, Arthur & Katherine Shadek Humanities Professor of Art