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.
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
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
Sculpture, using Soviet socialist realism style, became ubiquitous. Middle Kingdom filled up with massive public sculptures of “people’s heroes” and Chairman Mao.
TOP ARTISTS
Dong Xiwen 1914-1973
Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, best known for his 1953 work "The Founding Ceremony of the Nation".
Luo Gongliu 1916 - 2004
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
When: Early 1950 – 1960
Main themes: political change and socialist construction, collectivization of agriculture and industrial construction.
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.
TOP ARTIST
Huang Xin Bo 1916 - 1980
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
When : 1958- 1960
Main Themes: imposing scenes of contemporary socialist construction and Promethean socialist man building dams, reclaiming wasteland, and building modern industrial structures.
TOP ARTISTS
Shi Lu 1919 - 1982
Painter, wood block printer, poet and calligrapher.
He Tianjian 1891-1977
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
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.
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.”
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
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.
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