He was further inspired to reform traditional rules during a visit to the communist countries in eastern Europe, in 1957. He explored with a bold composition in the paintings from this trip, and Prague Palace is a refined example. He treated the trees at the forefront with simple, casual brush strokes, while the distant Gothic castle is lavishly and carefully depicted.

He was so taken by the architecture of grandeur that he did two sketchings of Prague Palace. During the trip he also enriched his perspectives of observing nature and his creative approaches to traditional landscapes. He became a pioneer in portraying foreign scenery by taking the advantages of Chinese painting materials.

People are most familiar with Such Is the Beauty of Our Rivers and Mountains, a panoramic landscape Fu completed with painter Guan Shanyue for the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The displayed work Yan'an shows the audience how Fu dealt with revolutionary motifs based on a four-day's journey in 1960.

The painting encompasses a variety of subjects in well-arranged layers. The fleets of farmers and rows of cave houses look like dots hidden in the mountain ranges; the viewer's eyes, meanwhile, are directed to the landmark pagoda at the back, which points into the sky like a sword. The painter enhanced the Red theme with a glowing red sky. He also added small red flags to such paintings on show as Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Shaoshan Mountain.

"Fu achieved his great success in exploring new themes (of traditional landscapes) during these important art trips. And he pushed forward the practice of ink-and-water to a new boundary," says Gong Liang, director of the Nanjing Museum, which houses more than 380 pieces of Fu's oeuvre.

"The reforms he initiated in interpreting images and expressing personal aesthetics keep enlightening artists today."

If you go

9 am-5 pm, daily until Jan 28. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.