Chao, who was born in Guangzhou, was a student of the Gao brothers - Jianfu (1879-1951)and Qifeng (1889-1933), two of the founders of the Lingnan school of painting.

'Lingnan' was the former name of the area covering Guangdong and Guangxi provinces during the Tang dynasty. Today, it is used more to refer to Guangdong. Artists of the Lingnan school of painting mostly came from the southern provinces.

The style of Lingnan school was much influenced by the modernisation of Japanese painting during the Meiji period (1868-1912), which saw elements of Western realism incorporated into traditional Japanese painting.

The Lingnan school expanded the concept of the 'West', which in its narrow sense at the time meant Europe. Gao Jianfu once wrote: 'If there are any good aspects of Indian, Egyptian or Persian painting, then we should embrace them all in our own works.'

Chao, with the pen-name of Shuyi, built his personal style on his teachers' artistic skills. He was adept at painting birds, fish and flowers. He was also a master at landscapes and toured widely in pursuit of new material. His extensive travel broadened the scope of his artwork. We can see in his painting the beauty of such cultural cities as Guilin and Liuzhou in Guangxi.

Chao's expressive brushwork and refined compositions offer viewers a glimpse of the passion he felt for his subjects.

Personally, I love his drawing of cicadas, particularly the way in which he has given the insects life. It almost looks like they are dancing under Chao's pen.

Chao made detailed observations of his subject before embarking on a picture. His tip for aspiring painters was to 'take nature as teacher and rely on one's own intelligence'.

Chao's works also lend themselves to poetry. In fact, there is a computer terminal in the exhibition that blends his drawing, photos of real objects and Chinese poems.

The Chao Shao-an Gallery 'Thematic Exhibition - Landscape Painting' runs until September at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Language point

Colours helps to paint our language so that we can express ourselves vividly.

Example 1: The E-learning programme has been put to the test and has passed with flying colours. (Young Post, April 8, 2003.)

'To pass with flying colours' means to pass with great success.

Example 2: Training for their role in the handover celebrations required steely resolve from 2,000 Hong Kong youngsters. And the proud little soldiers showed their true colours in rain, hail or shine. (Young Post, July 3, 1997.)

'To show one's true colours' is to let people see what one is really like.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT COLOUR WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN THE FOLLOWING EXPRESSIONS?

1. out of the ______: used to describe something that happens unexpectedly

2. ______ with envy: used when someone has feelings of jealously because he or she wants what someone else has

3. in the ______: refers to one's financial status when a person or business owes money

Give me five

to embrace

(v)

to accept, take in

Example: In Matrix Reloaded, Neo has firmly embraced his destiny, and he embarks on a desperate mission that he must complete before an army of mechanised sentinels wipes out Zion, the underground city. (SCMP, May 15, 2003)

adept

(adj)

very skillful

You may substitute 'adept at something' with 'proficient in something'.

Example: There was little dialogue but most of the seven actors were not adept at physical expression in a play that largely depended on it. (SCMP, May 8, 2003)

extensive (adj) covering a large area

Extensive also means covering a wide amount of information.

Example: A general lack of historical knowledge has led local residents to overlook Hong Kong's role in modern Chinese history, said Fok Kai-cheong, who has conducted extensive research on the topic for more than 20 years. (SCMP, April 2, 2003)

expressive (adj) effectively conveying thought or feeling

Example: Pan Hong's expressive eyes won her the latest role as a doctor, since most of her face is covered by a mask in the advert. (SCMP, May 15, 2003)

cicada (n) a large insect that makes a loud, high-pitched sound