Dawn by Xu Beihong. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of respected painter and art educator Xu Beihong (1895-1953). At a recent commemoration at the Grand Hall of the People, staff from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which Xu headed from 1946 until his death, remembered Xu's artistic legacies and his strong personality.

Famed oil painter Jin Shangyi, 81, who enrolled in CAFA in 1949, said he was most impressed by Xu's passion for art and education at the time.

"He was in his 50s and not in good health. One day he summoned all the students to the sports ground. After we sat down, he started to lecture on Western art history.

"He didn't teach class then. Still, he took art education pretty seriously," Jin recalled.

Xu Qingping, the youngest son of the artist, said, "My father firmly believed that seeking truth and being knowledgeable are essential tasks of an artist. All his life, father lived up to the belief."