Markus Lupertz, German neo-expressionist. [Photo/China Daily]

In 2015, Return of Western Paintings, an exhibition of his creations over the past decade toured Beijing and Guangzhou.

The ongoing show in Beijing reiterates his long-term pursuit to present the character of divinity of painting, even as more artists today work with mixed media or employ digital technology.

It includes his many series over a 50-year career, starting from the Dithyrambe series of paintings in 1962 to the Arcadia series he began in 2011.

"Painting is spiritual. It is a dream that surpasses many image processing technologies," says Lupertz.