Liu Haisu

He was one of the four pioneers of Chinese modern art who earned the title of "The Four Great Academy Presidents".

In November 1912, together with Wu Shiguang and Zhang Yunguang, he founded the first school of fine arts in modern China, Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting (上海国画美术院), the former Shanghai School of Fine Arts (上海美术专科学校).

He initiated co-education, and pioneered the adoption of nude model and open-air painting, and thus was scolded as an "artistic traitor", though he was supported by scholars such as Cai Yuanpei.

He went to Japan to explore education of fine arts in 1919, and founded Tianma Party upon returning to China.

He went to Japan in October 1920 to attend the opening ceremony of Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, and after he returned, he wrote "Biography of Jean-François Millet" and "Biography of Paul Cézanne" to introduce western arts into China.

Liu loved painting from a very young age and went to Shanghai for professional studying alone at 14.

This greatly disturbed Sun Chuanfang, who issued a secret warrant for Liu's arrest and tried to close down his school.

However his efforts were futile, since the school was based in the French area of Shanghai, where Sun had no authority.

He showed great disagreement with the arranged marriage and left home for Shanghai, where he met his second wife—Zhang Yunshi (张韵士), then 17 years old.