Bathing Beijing in watercolor

At age 36, he made a life-changing decision to study abroad. He enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London. He was, under the name Kuan Kuang Chin, one of the first Chinese students to attend this institution.

Fu Yiwei, the exhibition's curator, says Guan particularly admired the way William Turner (1775-1851), the noted English landscape artist known as "the painter of light", presented light and color. "Guan's works on show, Morning in Edinburgh and Belfast Beach, bear a considerable Impressionist influence. The light and translucent texture show the distinctive qualities of British watercolor."

While in Britain, Guan also studied etching techniques and traditions traced to 17th-century Dutch painter and printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn. When he left London, he carried with him a machine and tools for copper engraving. At home, he produced dozens of prints exhibiting the ever-changing atmosphere of ancient buildings.

Guan returned to Beijing in 1934. His wife, Wang Rulan, once recalled that during his trips to Britain and back, Guan visited art galleries and museums in Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Naples, Italy; Alexandria, Egypt; and Mumbai, India. "It broadened his horizons and made him realize that the art of every nation, with its own distinctive features, has added splendor to world culture. At the same time, he deeply appreciated that in art, one should not only possess national and individual characteristics, but also must study extensively to integrate diverse influences, to progress and achieve innovations," she said.

Back in Beijing, Guan taught at various schools. Meanwhile, he also deviated from his earlier depiction of British scenery and developed his own watercolor style in depicting Beijing's historic structures.

His subjects include the Jade Belt Bridge at the Summer Palace and the Nine-Dragon Wall in Beihai Park. He placed his subjects in a harmonious, beautiful environment. When depicting the Corner Towers of the Forbidden City, he would add cleaners working on a boat in the moat on the outer perimeter; in another painting of Beijing Zhongshan Park, where an imperial altar sits, he focused on the blooming wisteria outside the long corridor.

Fu says his strokes render these ancient buildings dignity and a refreshing resplendence that touches people across generations.

Dai Shihe, a retired professor of painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says, "Although Guan's landscapes are smaller in size, he delivered the poise and ease inherent in Chinese culture."