Wang Yancheng shows his abstract oil paintings at a solo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Wang is called an heir to the two artists' legacy because he carries forward an Eastern style that enriches abstract art.

He was introduced to Chu and Zao and deeply influenced by them after he moved to Paris in 1989 to study oil painting.

Then, he further extended their art vocabulary by adding his own thoughts about the mysteries of the cosmos.

Wang says his inspiration comes when he is on a plane and looks down.

A native of Shandong province, Wang's application of colors come from his childhood memories: His parents worked at an oil field and he remembers scenes when the field was enveloped in the grays of dawn and dusk, and the orange hues of sunrise and sunset.

He recreates these impressions on canvas.