Born in Wuxi, Jiangsu in 1914, Fang Zhaoling was instructed by many prominent painters of the 20th century, including Qian Songyan (1898-1985), Zhao Shao’ang (1905-1998) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983). With a unique underlying humour, Fang’s works resemble genre painting and often express a social ideology shared by the viewer. Partly attributable to the socialist realist movement that was ongoing in China, she frequently portrayed scenes of village life. Characteristic of her oeuvre, the figures in her paintings consist of not only men but also women and children, which were uncommon at the time. As Fang broke free from the convention of traditional ink painting in the 1990s, her works marked total calligraphic freedom and manifested enlivening creativity.