When Robert Rauschenberg died last year, it was the end of a long, prolific and innovative career. From the moment Rauschenberg's part-sculpture/part-painting Combines made the scene in the 1950s, through decades of inventive use of photo- based imagery, the artist continued to explore ways to make art that proved influential in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Now, his last works are on view in Denver, a series that utilizes photographs taken on trips to China more than two decades ago.

"The Lotus Series," however, skirts the issue of nostalgia. I would imagine that many of the architectural fragments and vistas he includes in these large-scale works on paper are long gone, considering that nation's enormous growth and change.

And while there may have been a sense of time travel when Chinese art lovers were able to see the series at the DaFeng Art Gallery in Beijing last fall, it's also not hard to imagine that his skill at isolating and then weaving together imagery showed viewers there how masterfully Rauschenberg could evoke feelings of recognition and possibility.

He was fearless about exploring other cultural resources, a seasoned traveler who included references to other nations in some works. He also put this interest into practice in 1984 when he instituted the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange, through which his works were exhibited in numerous countries, including shows at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the National Museum in Beijing.

In other words, Rauschenberg got it: Art speaks its own language, and he was a master interpreter.

"The Lotus Series" consists of 12 works made in early 2008 in which Rauschenberg used the image of a lotus flower - or, in two instances, a bed of lotus plants - to huge effect. Above, below and near this symbol of enlightenment, he has arranged photographs that show everything from a well-worn ram's head sculpture to a giant parking lot for bicycles (in what was then pre-automotive giant China) to roof lines to ancient walls. In Lotus X, that ram's head is joined by a traditional image of a mother and child, while Lotus Bed I focuses on street imagery, from crosswalk lines to traffic cones.

The opportunity to view this series is a gift, in tune with a new year. That is especially true because the gallery also has included a striking selection of contemporary Chinese painting and sculpture in the Viewing Room.

Standouts in "China: A New Year" include two playful neo-Pop paintings by Xiong Lijun, a pair of paintings by Feng Zhengjie in his trademark bilious colors of teal-turquoise and magenta (with those wandering eyes) and a duo of sculptures by Yu Fan of the at-once funny and sad, and partially clad, Miss L and Mr. W.

Yesterday and today meet happily at the gallery, which has become a leader in bringing China to Denver - much to our delight.

Mary Chandler is the art and architecture critic. chandlerm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2677

The Lotus Series

* What: Final work by artist Robert Rauschenberg, with "China: A New Year" in the Viewing Room

* Where and when: Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St.; through March 14

* Information: 303-297-7788; robischongallery.com