The Schema of Modern Tragedy Photo: Courtesy of Today Art Museum

An important artist in Chinese modern art history's '85 New Art Movement, Cao Yong has brought many of the paintings he created during the 1980s to Beijing's Today Art Museum in a new exhibition that opened Saturday.

According to the artist, for him the exhibition is an opportunity to review his early art career, which led him to name the exhibition after one of his most well-known paintings from the 1980s, The Schema of Modern Tragedy. Born in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, in 1954, the artist went through several phases that followed in step with many social changes in China.

One of the key characteristics of his art is its critical nature, both of historic and current social issues.

"Critical realism must be the central mission of Chinese scholars. Especially in today's China, when various social changes and reforms are taking place. We should have a clear mind when approaching the problems that we have nowadays," the artist said at the opening of the exhibition on Saturday. 

Curated by Shu Yang, the exhibition is scheduled to run at the museum until July 10.