1933年于希宁考上了上海新华艺专，带着一腔热血，带着父辈和老师们的期望来到上海，就读于上海艺专国画系，
1936年，他以优异成绩毕业，在张天奇、顾坤伯两先生合办的上海奇峰国画函授学校担任花鸟教学工作。这是一座私立学校，当时经济很困难，每月的薪水很少。家里每月都要寄给他一笔钱。有一天，于希宁的父亲来看他。一见他住的房子里只有租来的一个单人床，一个破旧的写字台，一把椅子。一问才知道，家里寄来的钱全被于希宁买了纸、笔、书等学习用具。父亲离开上海时给儿子买了一把好椅子。这把椅子于希宁一直带在身边，这是父亲留给他向唯一财产，陪伴着他进行终生的艺术创作。

五六十年代，于希宁开始他第二次负笈南下。从山东奔赴南京，再次求师俞剑华先生，重新投入中国美术史的研习进修借以寻求中国画的革新之路。美术史研究、艺术古迹考察双管齐下。理论求索、创作实践齐头并进。为了搜集素才，他的足迹遍及大江南北，真正是"读遍天下名著，遍历天下名迹"。

十年动乱开始，于希宁也和众多的艺术家-样，被游斗，被关入"牛棚"，被停止作画。

作为传统绘画与现代艺术的结晶，于老的画曾五十多次被选为国宾礼物，赠送给外国政府首脑和友好团体。在中国美术馆、中央美术学院、中国画研究院、人民大会堂、毛主席纪念堂、首都机场、天安门城楼及全国许多美术单位、宾馆等都有于老的精品。于老出版有《于希宁画集》、《于希宁画辑》、《于希宁花卉枝法》、《于希宁诗草》、专著《论画梅》等。他曾任山东艺术学院名誉院长、山东省第五、六届人大代表和省人大常务委员会委员、第七届全国人大代表、山东省第三届政协委员、中国美术家协会理事、省文联副主席、名誉主席、省美协主席，1992年被批准享受政府特殊津贴。
1991年在香港举办了个人画展。

1992中出访加拿大、美国，并举办个人画展。

1993年十月份他的作品又应邀参加了首届中国画展并获荣誉奖。

1997年10月，已84年岁高龄的于老在中国美术馆举办"于希宁画展"。

1998年于老捐资25万元，在山东艺术学院成立"于希宁优秀中青年教师奖励基金"。

1999年"七·一"向山东艺术学院捐赠四十幅书画作品。

于希宁先生在青年时代曾受到齐白石大师的指点，做人做画都要老老实实，这使用他感到“终身受用。”注意追求诗、书、画、印的完美结合，是于老在艺术上的又一特点。他除了精通花鸟画以外，犹善画梅，又以题梅诗见长，读来常使人兴味盎然：“千代龙柯凝铁骨，虬枝抽出百花输。仙山篱落勤栽种，美德春风遍四隅。”“移来三百梅花树，对我芸窗结净缘。岁暮天寒冰雪里，一枝冷艳舞翩翩。”读着这些诗，使人感到作者爱梅的深情和沁人心肺的清新。据于老介绍他曾屡赴江南访梅，探梅。他尤其喜欢取整株老梅入画，繁花茂蕊，干如屈铁，独具风格。

于希宁先生是我国当代著名的国画艺术大师和美术教育家，是具有诗、书、画、印和美术史论全面修养的学者型艺术家，是山东省现代美术教育的开拓者和学科创建者。他在艺术教育领域辛勤耕耘70年，桃李满天下，培养了大批优秀美术人才，为祖国的文化艺术事业做出了卓越贡献。

于希宁先生生前以“才德勤修养，三魂共一心”为座右铭，在绘画中强调国魂、画魂与人魂的统一，拓宽了传统花鸟画的人文境界，成为20世纪中国花鸟画推陈出新的杰出代表。尤其自上个世纪80年代以来，他以梅花为主要创作题材，在立足传统的基础上，创造了新的艺术语汇，形成了壮美明丽的独特艺术风格，既弘扬了民族绘画的艺术精髓，又体现出强烈的时代精神，达到了中国花鸟画艺术的新高峰。

1933 Yu admitted to the Shanghai Xinhua art school, with a cavity blood, with parents and teachers hope to come to Shanghai, studying at the Shanghai College of traditional Chinese painting,
In 1936, he graduated with honors, and served as a teaching job at Zhang Tianqi, jointly organized by the two Shanghai Mr. Gu Kunbo Qifeng painting correspondence school. It was a private school where the economy was difficult and the monthly salary was small. The family sends him a sum of money every month. One day, Yu's father came to see him. He saw only one rented room, a shabby desk and a chair. I asked to know, home to send money by Yu bought paper, pens, books and other learning tools. Father bought a good chair for his son when he left Shanghai. This chair Yu carry around all the time, this is the only father left him to accompany him to life and property, art creation.
In 50s and 60s, he began the second headed south yu. From Shandong to Nanjing, once again seeking Mr. Yu Jianhua, re involved in the history of Chinese art study to seek the reform of Chinese painting road. The study of art history and art on both sites. In the theoretical probing and creative practice. In order to collect elements before, his footprints all over on both sides of the Changjiang River "read all over the world, the real world famous masterpiece, traverse".
The ten years of turmoil began, Yu and many artists like, was denounced, was put into the "cow", was to stop painting.
As the crystallization of traditional painting and modern art, in the old painting was elected more than and 50 times to the present, presented to foreign heads of government and friendly organizations. In the China Art Museum, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Research Institute, Chinese painting in the Great Hall of the people, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the capital airport, Tiananmen square and the many art units and hotels are in the old boutique. In the old published "Yu Xining album", "Yu Xining", "Yu Xining flower painting series," Yu Xining law "branch Shicao", monograph "on painting plum" etc.. He served as honorary president of the Shandong College of Arts, Shandong, fifth, the six National People's Congress and the Standing Committee of the provincial people's Congress, the Seventh National People's Congress of Shandong Province, the third session of the CPPCC National Committee, China Artists Association, vice chairman, honorary chairman of the provincial Federation, Provincial Artists Association chairman, was approved in 1992 to enjoy special government allowances.
1991 held a personal exhibition in Hongkong.
1992 visit to Canada, the United States, and held personal exhibition.
1993 in October his work was invited to participate in the first Chinese painting exhibition and won the honorary prize.
In October 1997, 84 years old from the old in the China Art Museum "science exhibition".
In 1998 the old donated 250 thousand yuan, the establishment of "Youth Science outstanding teacher incentive fund in Shandong College of Arts".
In 1999 the "July 1st" donated forty paintings and calligraphy works from Shandong College of Arts.

Mr. Yu Xining had been master Qi Baishi, pointing at a young age, a painting to be honest, that he was "a lifetime of use." Attention to the pursuit of poetry, books, paintings, India, the perfect combination of old art in another feature. Besides his mastery of painting, and painting and poetry to Mei Mei, the known, often make people interested to read: "a thousand generations Long Ke Ning steel frame, Qiu Zhi flowers lose out. Qin mountains fencing planting, spring breeze over the four corner of virtue." "The shift of three hundred plum trees, on my window, clean edge. The close of the year snow, a cold lap dancing dancing." Read these poems, the author makes people feel fresh and refreshing feeling amy. According to the old introduction he has repeatedly went to the south to visit plum, plum exploration. He especially love old plum flowers painting line integral, Mao Rui, dry as a bending iron, unique style.
Mr. Yu Xining is a famous modern Chinese painting artist and art educator, is a scholar artist with poetry calligraphy and painting art history and comprehensive cultivation, Shandong province is the modern art education pioneer and founder of discipline. He worked hard in the field of art education for 70 years, students everywhere, cultivate a large number of excellent art talents, made outstanding contributions to the motherland's culture and art career.
Mr. Yu Xining had to "DDT culture, three is one soul" as the motto, stressed the unity of the national spirit, soul and spirit in painting, broaden the traditional painting of the realm of the humanities, has become an outstanding representative of twentieth Century China painting innovation. Especially since the last century since 80s, he with plum as the main theme, based on the traditional, created a new art vocabulary, formed a unique artistic style and the beauty, not only carries forward the national painting art essence, and embody the strong spirit of the times, reached a new peak China painting art the.