A woodblock printing by Ma Liebo portrays an elderly man making pancakes on the roadside. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

An exhibition of paintings by Ma Liebo, an artist from Rugao, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, was recently held at the Rugao Culture Museum.

The creation of the 65 exhibits, including 55 woodblock printings, was inspired by daily life, according to Ma.

Unlike previous woodblock printings, the artworks nowadays tend to be sophisticated and grand and explore the personal emotions of the creator, said the artist.

He believes that regardless of how the form and content of the artworks have changed, passion for life and innovation cannot be changed.

Ma Liebo works at his studio. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Ma noted that these exhibits featured his creations from the last three years.

In 2021, Ma created the Battle in Wuhan series to showcase Chinese people's courage in face of the pandemic. In the series, Ma painted landmark buildings in the city, including the Huanghe (Yellow Crane) Tower and Leishenshan and Huangshenshan hospitals.

Good works must depict the daily lives of common people and strike a chord with them, said Ma.

Ma's works usually highlight busy craftswomen, elderly people making pancakes at the roadside, and people taking pictures.

The artist also likes to capture life's wonderful moments in hope of bringing some positive energy to society.