Painter's work illustrates the figurative in the abstract

Xu Chenyang's artistic transition from the figurative to abstract surprised those who knew his paintings. For decades, the artist worked to blend the figurative techniques in which he took pride with a surrealist tendency.

But for others, Xu's venture into abstraction was a natural progression, as he is not one to be content in the comfort zone, but seeks breakthroughs on his own, in silence.