Return to site
Return to site

ART IN CHAIRMAN MAO'S CHINA

Since we are excited and inspired by our Creative Shanghai Bike Tour, this week’s main story will focus on peculiar Chinese art once more. This time from the period that some might consider the least artful of all.

Picture source: International Institute of Social History

The communist revolution in 1949 brought  the drive for economic development and social revolution in the People’s Republic of China . And because for most of its history art has always been saddled with the mission to glorify the religion or speak well of the state, it also became a tool in this case.   

Lenin viewed art as an important component of the “gears and wheels of the revolution” and  the Chinese Communist Party embraced this attitude. Mao pointed out that “New China should produce an art that is “socialist in content and Chinese in style.” Yet, although art during first 3 decades of PRC was heavily political, it was very un-Chinese in style. Painting closely followed the Soviet style of socialist realism and used Western oils instead of the traditional Chinese brush and ink.

The impact of the revolution on Chinese art resulted in  4 dominant styles of those times:

I.SOCIALIST REALISM

Picture source:The World of Chinese; The Founding of the Nation; Dong Xiwen,oil, 1953

When : Early 1950s

Main themes: revolutionary war, Mao Zedong, international socialist solidarity, industrialization, and land reform that focused attention on the revolutionary transformation underway in China. The Soviet inspiration is evident in paintings that depict Communist Party leaders, the mechanization of agriculture and industrialization

Picture source: hopedialogue.org; Mao Zedong reportinh on the Rectification in Yan'an, Luo Gongliu,oil, 1951

Sculpture,  using Soviet socialist realism style, became ubiquitous. Middle Kingdom filled up with massive public sculptures of “people’s heroes” and Chairman Mao.

Picture source:Redbubble; statue of Mao Zedong in Lijiang

TOP ARTISTS

Dong Xiwen 1914-1973

broken image

Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, best known for his 1953 work "The Founding Ceremony of the Nation".

Luo Gongliu 1916 - 2004

broken image

An important oil painter after the founding of new China. Started the National Wood Carving Association, and had been chosen for the directorate.

II.FOLK ART STYLES

Picture source:Everyday in Maoist China; Youth, Xin Bo, 1961

When: Early 1950 – 1960

Main themes: political change and socialist construction, collectivization of agriculture and industrial construction.

broken image

The most characteristic pieces included woodblock prints and Traditional Spring Festival Art ( 年画 nián huà) that depicted abundance of socialism. Papercuts  were praised as folk art and most remained quite traditional in style and subject matter, but also depicted new political themes.

Picture source:The History Blog

TOP ARTIST

Huang Xin Bo 1916 - 1980

broken image

Pioneer of the modern Chinese woodcut, who, heavily influenced by Lu Xun, devoted himself to the development and promotion of this important art form. Founder of the Human Art Club and Human Publishing House, Professor of the South China People Academy of Literature and Art from 1950

III.SOCIALIST ART OF THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD

Picture source:artnet.com; Fighting in Northern Shaanxi, Shi Lu, traditional Chinese ink, 1959

When : 1958- 1960

Main Themes: imposing scenes of contemporary socialist construction and Promethean socialist man building dams, reclaiming wasteland, and building modern industrial structures.

Picture source:artnet.com; A Revolution in Paint by Shi Lu

TOP ARTISTS

Shi Lu 1919 - 1982

broken image

Painter, wood block printer, poet and calligrapher.

He Tianjian 1891-1977

broken image

Leading Member of The Shangahi School of Art; he became extremely influential in the 1930s and 1940s.After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, he became a staff painter at the Shanghai Institute of Chinese Painting.

IV. REVOLUTIONARY ROMANTICISM

broken image

When : 1966 – 1976

Main Themes: heroic scenes from the revolutionary past and more typically paintings of Mao Zedong as a young revolutionary striding purposefully across the hills to organize workers or peasants, or immortalizing Mao as the revolutionary savior of China.

Picture source:British Library Prints; Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan, Liu Chunhua,oil, 1967
Picture source: Pinterest; Joint Defense by the People and the Army—An Iron Bastion, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, 1969

In the summer of 1964 a major campaign was launched to revolutionize art.  Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife, wielded control over art and took an active role in directly applying the “Thought of Mao Zedong” to art.

The earlier infatuation with Soviet inspired oils was abandoned after the Sino-Soviet split in 1960 and was replaced during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) with a unique Chinese genre of revolutionary art known as “revolutionary romanticism” or “socialist idealism.”

broken image

It was characterized by “red” in both color and content.  This was especially clear in the People’s Liberation Army art work which was held up as a model for all artists.

Some folk art was produced but it generally portrayed clear revolutionary themes and was devoid of depictions of folk customs and religion as in the original peasant art.

TOP ARTIST

Liu Chunhua, 1944 

broken image

The most noteworthy work, 'Chairman Mao goes to Anyuan' (毛主席去安源), ensuring him nation-wide fame. It had been purchased at the record price of USD 660,000 by the Construction Bank of China. It was declared a cultural relic, the first painting since 1949 to be officially recognized as such.

Information sources:

http://www.artnet.com/

http://www.beyondtheborder.org/

http://kennedy.byu.edu/

Previous
THE SHANGHAI SCHOOL - SHANGHAI'S VERY OWN ART STYLE
Next
7 UNFORGETTABLE PHASES OF SHANGHAI'S FASHION EVOLUTION
 Return to site
Cookie Use
We use cookies to improve browsing experience, security, and data collection. By accepting, you agree to the use of cookies for advertising and analytics. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn More
Accept all
Settings
Decline All
Cookie Settings
Necessary Cookies
These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies can’t be switched off.
Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us better understand how visitors interact with our website and help us discover errors.
Preferences Cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you've made to provide enhanced functionality and personalization.
Save