The elder daughter of late artist Gu Yuan (1919-96), recalls her father, who grew up in the countryside, once saying that he primarily made art for farmers-and he hoped they could relate to his work.

Gu Ancun says ultimately her father's art was not only well received among his own people but also, having been exhibited around the world, touched a much wider population.

At the age of 19, Gu Yuan arrived in Yan'an, the stronghold of the Communist Party of China located in Shaanxi province. He embraced his revolutionary ambitions to fight for national independence and to serve his people using art as a tool.

In Yan'an, he trained at the Luxun Academy of Arts to be a print artist, where he produced works to entertain farmers and promote revolutionary ideals among them.

Dating back to the 1930s and '40s, Gu's lithographs from this era feature simple, clear-cut demarcations, vivid details and a vibrant palette. They continue to evoke warmth, passion and nostalgia among today's audiences regardless of their background.

The Gu Yuan Art Exhibition, which runs through Nov 26 at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, marks the centennial of the artist's birth. He taught at the Beijing academy for several decades, and the show features more than 300 prints, watercolor paintings, drawings and sketches from his oeuvre-from his time in Yan'an throughout the following decades up until his death in 1996.

Along with the artist's personal items and photos, the exhibited works help the audience to embark on a trip back in time to his active years, where they are able to trace the evolution of the styles in Chinese art since the 1930s. It begins with works reflecting the toils of people and their engagement over the course of national liberation, before moving onto the works created after 1949 depicting scenes of booming socialist construction and agrarian landscapes, demonstrating a shift in tone from highlighting revolutionary enthusiasm toward progress and development.

Fan Di'an, chairman of the China Artists Association, says Gu Yuan developed a fresh, vigorous form that became one of the most recognized styles of art after the founding of New China. "His works present a unity of realistic concerns, a national spirit and a lyrical feeling to impose an enduring influence on the later generations of artists."

Gu Yuan once said during his years at middle school, he was attracted to works by Jean-Francois Millet, the 19th-century French artist known for his realist approach to depicting farmers and peasant life. He said Millet's paintings made him realize the important meaning of art concerning the plight of ordinary people, especially those struggling at the grassroots of society.

Gu Yuan said he was also motivated by the modern woodcut movement initiated by prominent writer Lu Xun, who emphasized the use of woodcut prints as an effective medium to advocate people's needs and social changes.

When Gu Yuan began producing prints in Yan'an, his works presented a noticeable influence by German artist Kathe Kollwitz and the former soviet style-but farmers found these works difficult to comprehend. He later tried to incorporate the form and the palette used in Chinese New Year woodcuts and folk arts such as paper-cuts.

"China boasts a rich cultural heritage, which really should be valued by Chinese artists," Gu Yuan once said.

A native of southern China's Guangdong province, Gu Yuan sought advice from villagers on whether he had given accurate depictions of the various aspects of rural life in Shaanxi, in northwestern China. For example, when he portrayed a shepherd and a herd of sheep, people suggested he add a dog as herdsmen used them to keep wolves at bay. They also suggested the herdsman should carry a sack on his back, which was commonplace, as they used them to carry lambs in after ewes gave birth.

His body of work conveys a distinctive feeling of simplicity and gentleness, just like the impression he left on others.

Gu Yuan once wrote a poem: "A boy from the south, I arrived in northern Shaanxi to seek truth; the time flies by and I am almost 70, while I am a clumsy old man, I still embrace the same passion."

Wang Huaxiang, a professor who heads the Central Academy of Fine Arts' department of print art, says: "Throughout his life, Gu Yuan showed to people that an artist should be genuine so that he can find truth in beauty, and an artist who is concerned with people and social issues is someone who has love in his heart."