signed XUCAO,inscribed,and with one seal of the artist dated Gengchen year（1940） ink and color on paper，hanging scroll A leading conservative artist in Peking in the 1930s and 1940s, Xu Cao's zestful brushwork and interest in dramatic figural styles which were cultivated by populist artists, celebrating heroes, sages and religious figures, are exemplified in the attitudes of his figures.