Artist creates the most precious of depictions

"He inherited the xieyi (sketching the spirit) tradition of Chinese painting and blended it with the simplified sketching approach of comic art to depict people's daily lives," she says.

Yi says his unique style conveys a light mood with underlying messages, which make Feng a household name and his works loved by generations of Chinese people today. While his artworks make people smile and feel delighted, they also make them think.

In Moonscape in the Courtyard, a work on display, Feng didn't draw the moon directly, but he accentuated the tranquility of the mood with a scene in which the house, wall, mountains and flower pots on a bench in the courtyard are illuminated by moonlight.

Yi adds that the poetic sentiments, sense of humor, and thoughtful reflections embedded in his art continue to inform people's understanding of Feng.

Feng was also enthusiastic about classic Chinese poems. He injected the rhetorical beauty of these verses into his artistic creations to reflect the life and mentality of the people in his time.