Xu Beihong (1895-1953) is regarded as one of the most seminal figures in the history of modern Chinese painting. Apart from his larger than life persona and dramatic life story spanning continents and wars, he was one of the first to articulate the need for artistic expressions that reflected a new modern China at the beginning of the 20th century. As one of the earliest Chinese artists to be trained in Europe, he was instrumental in promoting the use of scientific realism and the direct study of nature to rejuvenate ink painting. This catalogue of the 2008 exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum includes essays on Xu's life and oeuvre, including his years in Singapore before 1942. 90 colour plates with commentaries show the variety of his paintings which incorporate European, Asian, and distinctively Chinese qualities. Bilingual in Chinese and with bibliography.