The Rise and Fall of the Chinese Propaganda Poster
By Stefan R. Landsberger. Excerpt from the book 'Chinese Propaganda Posters'
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The establishment of private companies, galleries and other outlets to act as dealers for these young artists has greatly facilitat-ed the marketing of their works. With a rich choice of truly desirable paintings and posters becoming more widely available than ever before, there is no longer any need to buy the dull political messages. By consciously avoiding political or moralizing subjects in their works, artists provide the people with visual materials that they consider more meaningful or that appeal aesthetically. This is illustrated by the return of traditional auspicious imagery and New Year prints - not only with traditional but with modern contents as well - in both urban and rural domestic interiors.
Not much is left, in short, of a pictorial genre that once was aimed to inspire the Chinese people, to mobilize them and point them the way to a future Communist utopia. Politics is dead, and consumerism very much alive. After the turn of the century, four different types of mass art have remained, all consumed by different groups. The urban yuppies desire poster-sized reproductions of Western art. The less well-off buy fairly inexpensive calendar posters, preferably featuring with pretty girls. The majority of the Chinese, the peasants, are more and more inspired by traditional images, even though the picture of Mao may have replaced the space formerly reserved for deities such as the Kitchen God. There still are some political posters available, but only collectors from China and the West seem to be interested in them. The images that once defined the image of China have disappeared.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The establishment of private companies, galleries and other outlets to act as dealers for these young artists has greatly facilitat-ed the marketing of their works. With a rich choice of truly desirable paintings and posters becoming more widely available than ever before, there is no longer any need to buy the dull political messages. By consciously avoiding political or moralizing subjects in their works, artists provide the people with visual materials that they consider more meaningful or that appeal aesthetically. This is illustrated by the return of traditional auspicious imagery and New Year prints - not only with traditional but with modern contents as well - in both urban and rural domestic interiors.
Not much is left, in short, of a pictorial genre that once was aimed to inspire the Chinese people, to mobilize them and point them the way to a future Communist utopia. Politics is dead, and consumerism very much alive. After the turn of the century, four different types of mass art have remained, all consumed by different groups. The urban yuppies desire poster-sized reproductions of Western art. The less well-off buy fairly inexpensive calendar posters, preferably featuring with pretty girls. The majority of the Chinese, the peasants, are more and more inspired by traditional images, even though the picture of Mao may have replaced the space formerly reserved for deities such as the Kitchen God. There still are some political posters available, but only collectors from China and the West seem to be interested in them. The images that once defined the image of China have disappeared.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Read revolutionary books, learn from revolutionaries and become an heir of the revolution. Book title: Stories of Lei Feng