As the construction of a modern industrial [Chinese] nation took on urgency [during the "Great Leap Forward"], artists took on totally new areas of subject matter: industry and mining, massive engineering works, construction of all kinds, the food-producing plains of the countryside, the taming of mountains and valleys, the wealth of beautiful forests in the border regions ... all these were depicted to enhance the people's pride and love of country. They aimed to show a spirit of selflessness in the people's labor, and to demonstrate the huge power inherent in the masses ability to improve nature, and they strived to embue their characters with strength and vigor. In the works of this period, our laboring people no longer appeared as insulted and injured characters, as in the 1930s woodblock works, but appeared as masters of our country. This was an epoch-making revolution in art production." ---Li Qun, Li Hua, & Wang Qi, "Fifty Years of the New Chinese Woodblock." Shanghai: People's Fine Art Publishers, 1981



Detail:


Return to: