Art and China’s Revolution
Okay, I wish I could show you more than those two pictures above but photography was not allowed within the exhibits so I got nada.
The exhibits were impressive. There were a lot of really magnificent paintings on display, poster art, a lot of little knick-knacks that people had saved over the years–Mao badges, bowls and dishes with Cultural Rev art on them, etcetera.
The pieces that made the biggest impression on me were the big-ass mural-sized paintings that had Mao as the subject. He was generally always in the center, leading a group of people, smiling his teeth off, and wearing very traditionally Western clothing. I noticed the bit about the Western clothing because he’s in the paintings as an example for the people to lead and he’s not in Chinese garb. Granted, I don’t mean that he has to be wearing a qipao or something, but it’s still interesting to note that he was set apart from the rest of the people because of his physical appearance (tall, really stocky) and his clothing (Western).
Other pieces that I really enjoyed looking at were the posters. The typography! Gorgeous. I’m without a scanner at the moment but I bought pamphlets with some of the art showcased and I’ll scan those once I have a chance to.
