Now, the public can savor the same appreciation that Xu enjoyed when viewing Ren's works at the ongoing exhibition, From Ren Bonian to Xu Beihong, at the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall in Beijing.

A chair is placed in front of the eight paintings, providing a perspective similar to Xu's when he savored the works by Ren, who he viewed as an idol throughout his life.

The exhibition shows more than 50 of Ren's paintings once owned by Xu that are now in the collection of the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall.

Zhang Limeng, the exhibition's co-curator, says Xu accumulated a systematic collection of Ren's art, and several works are available for public viewing for the first time, including the eight flower-and-bird paintings.

She says the exhibition offers a rare chance to enter Xu's mind to understand why he had called Ren "a star of his time".