刘旦宅，幼年家境贫寒，自幼喜好绘画。10岁时曾在温州举办过《十龄童刘小粟画展》，有“神童”之誉。1951年到上海，为私营大中国图画出版社画书籍插图、教学挂图等，亦作连环画。入上海人民美术出版社任职。后为上海中国画院画师，上海师范大学美术系主任、教授、中国美术家协会会员，中国美术家协会上海分会理事，上海中国画院画师、上海师范大学美术学院名誉院长。1979年春访问日本、10月在上海举行个人画展。作品多次入选国内外大型美术作品展览及在多种专业报刊上发表，多次为美术馆、博物馆、艺术馆收藏。2011年3月2日刘旦宅在上海中山医院因病辞世，享年80岁。

主要作品有《曹血雪芹生平》（组画）、《琵琶行》、《洛神赋》、《长恨歌》、《红楼梦---金陵十二钗》（组画）、《九歌图》（组画）、《太白观瀑》、《东坡舞月》、《虎溪三笑》、《换鹅》、《群玉之山》、《春消息》等。出版画册《石头记人物画》、《红楼梦故事图》、《历代诗人图册》、《齐鲁哲贤图》、《刘旦宅画集》等。
工书法，善诗词。历任上海人民美术出版社专业画家，长期从事人物画、连环画及插图创作，后为上海中国画院画师，上海师范大学美术系主任、教授。现为中国美术家协会会员，中国美术家协会上海分会理事，上海中国画院画师、上海师范大学美术学院名誉院长。

刘旦宅擅人物，兼花鸟，效法汉唐人物，取道宋元山水，转益多师，融会贯通，工写兼长。然而我最爱的还是他的关涉古典意象的创作，亦极爱他“诗高于画”这一句让人怦然心动的话。
诗书画之创作，首先不是因为技艺，而是因为感动。 　　
很多时候古典诗词中的意象给人提供了想象的方向，但是没有一种优美典雅的原型，这种想象的向度还是空幻的，虽是多向而发散，但却无形无踪，不能给人以可感的美妙。而画，却可给人造境。刘旦宅的意义就在于为诗造境，把境落实。读诗或有感动，便想象一种景致，想象一种氤氲难状的氛围——当心中之境与眼前之景有相和合之时，赏画，便会有“纵是石头也动情”之感。

Liu Danzhai, young family, his childhood love of painting. At the age of 10 was held in Wenzhou "Liu Xiaosu Art Exhibition" a child of ten, "child prodigy" reputation. To Shanghai in 1951, is a private high China picture book illustration, painting press teaching wall map, also as a comic book. Shanghai people's Art Publishing house. After Shanghai China painting artist, member and director of the Arts Department of Shanghai Normal University Professor, China Artists Association, director of China Artists Association of Shanghai branch, Shanghai Chinese painting artist, honorary president of the Academy of Fine Arts Shanghai Normal University. 1979 spring visit to Japan, held an exhibition in Shanghai in October. Works selected several large domestic and foreign art exhibitions and published in a variety of professional newspapers, many times for the art museum, museum, Art Museum collection. In March 2, 2011 Liu Danzhai Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital passed away at the age of 80.
The main works include "Qin Cao Xuexue biography" (Series), "Pipa", "goddess", "song", "a dream of Red Mansions - twelve beauties" (Series), "Nine Songs map" (Series), "Taibai", "Dongpo Guanbao moon", "dance", upon its "change", "goose Jade Mountain", "spring" and other news. The book "stones", painting "a dream of Red Mansions", "story map atlas", "Qilu poets zhe Xian", "Liu Danzhai" on the album.
Calligraphy, good poetry. Served as the Shanghai people's Fine Arts Publishing House of professional painters, engaged in painting, illustration and comic creation, after Shanghai China painting artist, director and professor of Fine Arts Department of Shanghai Normal University. Now China Artists Association, director of China Artists Association of Shanghai branch, Shanghai Chinese painting artist, honorary president of the Academy of Fine Arts Shanghai Normal University.
Liudanzhai good characters, and flowers and birds, like Han characters, through the Song Yuan landscape, on, and work together, write long. But I love the most is his concern of classical image creation, he is also very love "poetry than painting" this sentence makes eyebrows words.
The first poem calligraphy and painting creation, not because of skill, but because of the move.
A lot of time in classical Chinese poetry imagery provides direction to the imagination, but not a beautiful and elegant prototype, this kind of imagination to or unreal, although it is more divergent, but without a trace, can not give a sense of the beautiful. And painting, but can give artificial environment. The significance of Liu Danzhai lies in creating environment for poetry and implementing environment. Read poetry or touched, then imagine a scene, imagine a dense hard like atmosphere -- when the hearts of the environment and the scene in front of me and have the reward, painting, will have a "vertical stone is also a sense of emotion.