To properly understand Au's work it is necessary to know something about the unique style of the Lingnan school. The catchphrase of the school's painters was: "Drawing on influences from China and the outside world, merging elements from ancient and modern times," and the method they used to achieve this was: "Taking Nature as one's master, and emphasizing the art of painting from life."
歐豪年既是嶺南派「弘法」傳人，要深入欣賞歐豪年的作品便不能不理解嶺南畫派的獨特風格，嶺南派的一句口訣是：「折衷中外，融合古今」，方法則是「師法自然，重視寫生。」