Silvano Lattanzi, the master of made — in — Italy shoemaking, was totally conquered by a painting hung in the entrance hall of the very modem Rich Gate, the luxury district in Shanghai.
The painting, before which he knelt down to show his admiration, is the Rich Gale Rose painted by Liu Linghua. who's known as the "Chinese Van Gogh".
It was in May 2016 that Lattanzi first met Liu Linghua who was working on his 15-square-meter great piece. Lattanzi, from the country where Renaissance began, saw the painting accidentally and was immediately impressed by its beauty. He told others that he never imagined that western oil-painting techniques could be developed so well by a Chinese and that this was the best painting he had ever seen.
In the eyes of westerners, Lattanzi is a great master of shoemaking, fashion and arts. His admiration for the Rich Gate Rose well shows the high level of Liu's painting. Ever since this, the two art masters of different nationalities, different ages and different cultural backgrounds have forged a profound friendship.
When Lattanzi came back to China six months later with the pair of shoes he made for Liu, he insisted on delivering the shoes to Liu himself. The two friends met again al the Rich Gale and Liu Linghua presented an embroidery (刺绣）of his master work The Drunken Beauty in return.
Liu expressed repeatedly that his works should be explained by painting and not the words of compliments. He does not care about the titles, though he ison par withthe greatest painters. A leading light or a grand master of art, Liu pays little attention to it. Liu thinks actions are more important than words.
