Artist endures with honesty

Hu's many works often reflect the plight of farmers and the working class in cities and document the course of the Chinese people seeking national independence and fighting injustice. He was deeply influenced by the expressionist movement and especially by German artist Kathe Kollwitz.

Fan Di'an, dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says Hu's continuous care for the most underprivileged was "deeply rooted in his heart, for he himself was one of them".