Arcadia－the Soldier, 2013, by Markus Lupertz. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The artist laments that the modern obsession with smart phones has shortened attention spans. The visual revolution dominated by videos and films makes people too impatient to appreciate a painting quietly, to think independently and to communicate with it.

As one of the most influential living German artists who made his name in the 1980s, Lupertz created a style characterized by subjectivity and handling materials roughly to fight against the conceptual art and the pop art developed by American artists.

He advocates painting for the picture itself. His paintings are simple and seem casual. Helmets, bodies, skulls and snails are common motifs in his work.

"I never have a plan on how to draw a picture. Every time I start a painting, it's a totally new journey and full of questions," he says of his drawing process, adding there's no fixed way to understand his paintings.

Tan Ping, director of the school of design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says Lupertz's paintings are a real reflection of his inner mind and emotion.