Hu Yichuan works on a painting at home in Guangzhou in 1986. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In the years when Hu was much occupied with administrative duties at school, he continued to produce oil paintings of historic events and landscapes. In these works he invited the audience to savor the pains and joys of life.

He once said: "Without feeling pain, one will not treasure happiness; and without happiness, one will not be saddened by pain. Pain and happiness are like a married couple, never to part."

Du Jian, a former student and retired professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says Hu was a man with a broad mind and unassailable honesty. "His works always reflect genuine feelings. But it is his noble character that make his art eternal."