Tang Yihe's oil painting July 7, 1937. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The last work of Chinese oil painter Tang Yihe (1905-44) was a canvas titled July 7, 1937, named after the date of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that marked the beginning of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Tang portrayed a group of college students who march along a street calling for people to stand up against the approaching invaders. The students in the picture were modeled on those who attended Wuchang Fine Arts School in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei province, where Tang had taught since graduating from Paris' National School of Fine Arts in 1934.

The painting Tang produced in 1940 was a draft intended for a huge piece of work. But he was unable to do the work because of the war and a shortage of material.