The Beijing show Ethos and Fortitude is to celebrate the 120th birthday of Pan Tianshou, who devoted himself to the revival of Chinese ink painting in the 20th century.[Photo by Jiang Dong / China Daily]

The flower-and-bird painting style might have disappeared last century if not for Pan Tianshou, whose works are on display to honor his contributions. Lin Qi reports.

The traditional flower-and-bird painting genre may not have survived in the second half of the 20th century if not for Pan Tianshou (1897-1971).

He's recognizedas one of the four 20th-century masters of classic Chinese painting.

The luminary's works that blend scholarly elegance and aesthetic grandeur sell for tens of millions of yuan at auctions today.

Still, he led a low-profile and frugal life.

He committed himself to art education and taught at high schools and colleges. His students include such masters as acclaimed Chinese-French abstract painter Zao Wou-ki (1920-2013).

But his devotion to instruction meant he left behind only several hundred paintings - far fewer than other celebrated artists of his time.

Pan once said: "I have been a teacher all my life. Painting is my side job."

He headed the Hangzhou-based China Academy of Art for two tenures. His son, Pan Gongkai, now 70, later assumed the same position.

The academy is exhibiting 120 paintings out of his oeuvre at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing to mark the 120th anniversary of his birth.

The show, Ethos and Fortitude, commemorates his greatness as a man, educator and painter.

Pan Tianshou is known for his unyielding character. He dedicated himself to modernizing education about, and the creation of, Chinese ink-brush traditions at a time when the classic ink painting faced a decline in the chaos of early 20th century and Western painting was flourishing in the country.

The China Academy of Art's head Xu Jiang says Pan Tianshou's spirit demonstrated by two seals found on many of his works.