An artist's take on life

Fang gained a reputation for a distinctive style that suits both refined and popular tastes. He preserves the figurative tradition of the Lingnan School, and he also inherits Lingnan School's tendency toward inclusiveness, by infusing it with an intellectual temperament of the Shanghai School and a spirit of historic weight upheld by the Jingjin (Beijing and Tianjin) School of paintings.

Meanwhile, the unique natural and cultural landscapes of South China have allowed Fang to burst with enormous creativity. "Throughout years I traveled a lot to mountainous areas, forests and woods, from Guangdong and Hainan provinces to Shangri-La in Yunnan province.

"The centuries-old trees there, together with the streams and unusual plants and animals, all kept me inspired. Not only was I caught by the beauty of the wildlife, but also, I was taken by the rustic atmosphere composed by the houses, domestic animals and even agricultural tools. Often I couldn't wait and just painted on site."