Lin's painting Wall Street at Dusk.

In the Fishing Villagers series, the heavy dark clouds and a blood-red sunset represent the stress and cruelty in villagers' lives, while the Cities series expresses his reflection and criticism of urban civilization in modern society, which is quite rare among modern Chinese painters, who tend to shy away from critical themes, Wang said.

Blankets of dark clouds, iron forests of skyscrapers and environmental pollution are frequent motifs in Lin's paintings. He named them "the price of prosperity".

Furthermore, he does not neglect marginalized corners of society like red-light district and homeless people sleeping on the street.

Such series can provoke serious contemplation about problems facing modern civilization and human beings' destinies, which is of great significance to his Chinese peers, Wang said.

Lin has won wide acclamation after exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces in the 1990s at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture.

In 2013, he will embark on a world tour, beginning with an exhibition slated to open in Beijing on Sept 9, and then moving to Xi'an in Shaanxi, Zhengzhou in Henan and Shanghai by the end of the year.

Many celebrities, including Xu and Wang, will attend the Beijing show, where a total of 99 paintings Lin has created since 1990 will be on display, according to organizers.

Following the domestic legs of the tour, the exhibition will be held in Europe next year, and the focus for 2015 will be the United States, Africa and Oceania.

The around-the-world voyage will promote overseas understanding of Chinese culture, said Xu, the president of the cultural institute.

He said Lin's paintings are worth repeated viewing.

"The more you view them, the more implicit overtones you'll be able to perceive from his paintings."

Artist imbues modern cityscapes with ancient flavor	Oil painting diplomacy