Sishu by Sun Zixi [Photo/Global Times]

A personal exhibition sharing the life experiences of a Chinese painter, The Eternity of the Past: The Artistic Life of Sun Zixi, opened on Friday at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Art Museum.

An early pioneer of contemporary Chinese oil painting, pictures and early drafts of one of his most representative works, Tiananmenqian (In front of Tiananmen), can be seen at the exhibition.

The painting is considered as one of the greatest "red classic" oil paintings of the 20th century.

However, while this and other famous works can be seen at the museum, the true focus of the exhibition is on Sun's sketches and his evolution as an artist.

The exhibition features a number of sketches from the 1940s, when Sun, now 85, joined The Eighth Route Army, all the way up to his more recent work.

These sketches, along with letters written to friends explaining the compositions, walk visitors through Sun's creative process, showing what his first drafts looked like and how he turned these elements into great paintings.

The exhibition is scheduled to run until January 4.