Lee Ch'i-mao, who studied in the Ling-nan conservatory, points out that just as Kao Chien-fu, Kao Ch'i-feng, and Ch'en Shu-jen were active in the Chinese Revolution, the Ling-nan school's spirit of striving for constant renewal is one of the reasons for its continued vigor.
「嶺南派」本就標榜國畫的「現代化」曾在「嶺南藝苑」遊學的畫家李奇茂指出，正如同高劍父、高奇峰、陳樹人三位宗師都是投身國民革命的開國元勳，「嶺南派」講究不斷「革新」的精神，也是它能歷久不墜的原因之一。