Considered by many critics as the founder of the "Yellow Earth School" of painting, he served as President of Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts and Vice Chairman of the China Artists Association.
[2] Impressed by his skills, Chen recommended him to study at Shanghai Yucai School, which was known for nurturing artistic talent.
His works combine Western perspective projection with a paler and plainer background, and he was considered one of China's most technically competent painters of the socialist-realist style.
[6] Many art critics consider Liu as the founder of the "Yellow Earth School" of painting,[1][5] pointing to his works since the 1960s, including Four Generations (祖孙四代) and Chairman Mao and the Shepherd (毛主席和牧羊人), which were highly influential at the time.
However, this is disputed by his detractors, who perceive a lack of cultural depth in his works, and criticize the stagnation or regression of his artistic skills since the 1980s and 1990s.