Natural gift

A prodigy at 19, Yu Jigao's artistic quest continues into his eighties.

Traditional Chinese painter Yu Jigao says that everyday nature is the fountainhead of his work.

Instead of rare plants or animals, he often portrays species commonly seen in daily life, making them simple but emotionally close to viewers.

Critics say his paintings are full of life and allow to people feel the exuberance of nature, something that stems from his childhood experience.

Born to a farmer's family in northern Jiangsu province, Yu has a great interest in birds and flowers since childhood.

The bond with nature grew even stronger as he helped his parents do farm work and tended cows in the fields.

The farmboy started his creative pursuits when he was admitted to the Nanjing Normal University as an art student in 1951.

The 19-year old was even lucky enough to have master painters Fu Baoshi and Chen Zhifo as his teachers.