Luo Zhongli garnered wide notice in the early 1980s for his monumental oil work Father, which depicts the sunbathed, wrinkled face of a farmer in Sichuan province, Luo’s native province and the place he lived and worked for decades. The painted created deep resonance in the hearts of viewers as it symbolizes the hardships all fathers and the older generation endured for the benefit of their families.

Father, one of the most popular pieces in the collection of the National Art Museum of China, has defined Luo’s career since.

Back to the Beginning, an exhibition curated by Cui Cancan and running at the Tang Contemporary Art in Beijing, charts Luo's work since the 1960s. Running through July 18, it gathers some 200 works broken into 10 groups, including a rare view of the preparatory drawings for Father, to present the evolution of individuals and collectives amid social changes.