Insight into master painter Feng Zikai's life

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This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Feng Zikai, a master painter, writer and translator of 20th century China.

In the exhibition hall at the National Art Museum of China, paintings of Feng Zikai have stunned viewers. His work was largely drawn from daily experiences and provide insights into life at the time in an approachable, delightful manner.

His ink paintings laud the beauty of life in a poetic way while offering witty observations on the complexity of human nature.

Paintings of Feng Zikai are on display at the National Art Museum of China. /VCG Photo

Feng's extensive following of all ages is contributing to the popularity of a series of commemorative exhibitions on his birth anniversary.

In his native town in Tongxiang in China's Zhejiang Province, a courtyard Feng once lived in has turned into a museum for commemorating the artist. It is there where Feng was introduced to art.

At the age of 17, Feng attended a school in Hangzhou, where he started learning music and oil painting. Hangzhou's landscape and leisurely pace of life also helped shape the lighthearted tone of his paintings.

Later Feng went to Japan to study oil painting. During his stay, he was inspired by a collection of works by a self-taught Japanese artist. The technique was less demanding while emphasizing poetry and underlying social concerns.

Paintings of Feng Zikai are on display at the National Art Museum of China. /VCG Photo

But Feng also formed his own style grounded in Chinese cultural elements accumulated since childhood.

His work also reflects his admiration of children. He appreciated their innocence, honesty and other qualities that one would find lacking in the adult world.

He drew the "Engou Album" for his youngest son, Feng Xinmei, whose nickname was Engou.

Song Feijun, grandson of Feng Zikai, said: "My grandfather always drew for us. I remember when I was in high school, I was really interested in astronomy. And one day I told him what I thought about the universe, he was really happy and drew a painting based on what I depicted.

"Feng's education concept is called 'diversity', just like his paintings. He said his children should cultivate a variety of interests to live their own lives."

Paintings of Feng Zikai are on display at the National Art Museum of China. /VCG Photo

After the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out, Feng moved his family to southwest China's Guangxi Province.

In the paintings, he documented the calamities of the war he had witnessed along the way while he asked people not to give up fighting.

In one painting, Feng composed a poem explaining the album's title: "A big tree has been severely cut but it is still alive. But when spring arrives, the tree will sprout feverishly."

He hoped the tree's unyielding spirit would lift the morale of Chinese people with a firm belief in the final triumph over the invaders.