WhentheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)wasfounded,ithadlittlemorethan50members.Bytheendof2015,membershiphadreached87.793million.In95years,thepartyhasgrownfromaperipheralminorgrouptoamajorworldpower.Recently,attheNationalArtMuseumofChina,celebratingthisanniversarywithart,“Ex-hibitionforthe95thAnniversaryoftheCommunistPartyofChina,”displayedthehistoryanddevelopmentofthepartyaswellasitsachievements.
Theexhibitionshowcasedover300works,mostlyfromthecollectionoftheNationalArtMuseum.SeveralgenerationsofChineseartistswerefeatured,withworksrepresentingChinesepainting,print,sculpture,NewYearpicturesandlacquerpainting.“ThisexhibitionutilizesarttodisplaythehistoryanddevelopmentoftheCPC,”remarkedWuWeishan,curatorofthemuseum.“Spanningacentury,theseworksalsotracethedevelopmentofChinaundertheguidanceoftheCPC.”Theexhibitionwasdividedintothreeparts.
ThefirstpartwasdevotedtotheNew
SetSailbyHeHongzhouandHuangFaxiang,oiloncanvas,250x500cm,2009OilpaintersHeHongzhou(1964-)andHuangFaxiang’s(1953-)jointworkSetSailreemergedforthishistoricalmoment.Thirteencongressdeputies,includingMaoZedong,DongBiwuandZhangGuotao,aredepictedonboardavessel.Onthecanvas,blackcloudsoverheadsymbolizethedangerouspoliticalsituationatthattime.Dawnintheeastintegrateswiththefiguresontheboat,hintingatthebrightfutureaheadoftherevolutionandthecourageoftheCPCmembers.
Somehistoricaleventswerefrozenunderartists’brushes.LiBinghong’s(1913-1986)oilpaintingNanchangUprisingshowsthetight,darkbutpromisingnightbeforetheuprising.OnAugust1,1927,inordertofightagainsttheKuomintang’slarge-scalemassacreofcommunistpartymembers,theCPClaunchedtheNanchangUprising,heraldingtheonsetofitsarmedresistanceagainstKuomintang.Againstthelayeredpurplebackground,therhythmbetweencoldandwarmcolorscreatesthefeelingofvibrationsintheairandthepulseoftherevolution.
Thesecondpartcoversthesocialistrevolutionandconstructionperiod(19491987).Duringthisera,undertheguidanceoftheCPC,Chinasetupthebasicsocialistsystemandestablishedtheindependentandcomprehensiveindustrialsystemandnationalsystem,whichlaidafoundationforChina’smodernizationdrive.
ArtduringthistimefocusedontheaspiringChinesepeoplewhodiscoverednewhopewiththefoundingofNewChina.StorminWildernessbyHuangZhou(1925-1997),aChinesepaintingmaster,isonesuchwork.Thepieceisinspiredbytheartist’spersonalexperience.WhenheandsomecolleaguestrekkedforaweekalongtheQinghai-TibetHighway,theybecameexhaustedbutweresuddenlyawokenbythesoundofringsoncamels.Theyhappeneduponageologicalteamridingcamels.ThemomentwassoimpressivethatHuangrecordeditinthework,inwhichthefiguresarebold,generousandambitious.
Atthesametime,withthepeacefulliberationofTibetandXinjiang,aseriesofworksdemonstratesethnicminorities’supportfortheCPC.OneofChina’smostfamousoilpaintersofthe20thCentury,DongXiwen(1914-1973)paintedTurningovertheLanddisplayingtheserfsinTibetbecomingownersoftheirlandandhappilyworkingfortheirownbenefit.Thetippedpostureofthefigureandtheraisedhoofsoftheyakaswellaslongstrokesofearthmakethepaintingsatedwithprogressiveideals.Toweringmountainsandblueskyaresetoffbythepeachredcoatofawoman,whichlightenstheworkanddeepensitsconnotations.
TurningovertheLandbyDongXiwen,oiloncanvas,77x143cm,1963
ThisIsHaiyanbyPanJiajun,oiloncanvas,130x86cm,1972
FemalePoliceOfficerbyLiHu,inkonpaper,81x65cm,1960
JiaoYulubyMaoBenhua,WangGang,BaoLuandHaoMijia,oiloncanvas,220x400cm,2009
ModelBreederbyWeiQimei,oiloncanvas,114x145cm,1956
ThethirdpartdisplaysChina’sreformandopeningupanditssocialistmodernization.Sincestartingreformandopeningupin1978,Chinahasachievedgreatdevelopment,whichhasinturnprovidedconsiderableinspirationforartists.ThemesincludehistoriceventsliketheconstructionoftheQinghai-TibetRailway,fightingSARSandearthquakerelief.
Atthesametime,artistsbeganpayinggreaterattentiontoChineseordinaryworkers.WhenhevisitedTaihangMountainswherearevolutionarybasewasoncelocated,SunJian(1961-)metagroupofmigrantworkersdressedinfashionableclothes,whichinspiredtheworkAutumnSun.Theworkdocumentsfruitsofreformandopeningup,thetremendousimprovementsinfarmers’livingconditioninremoteareasandcheerfuloutlooksfromsomany.
“Boastinggreatvariety,theexhibitionnotonlyilluminatesthearduousandgloriousroadthepartyhaswalkedoverthepast95years,butalsodisplaysChinesepeople’sgreatachievementsinart,”declaresartcriticShaoDazhen,professorattheCentralAcademyofFineArts.“It’slikeacondensedversionofmodernChinesearthistory,movingpeoplewithcontent,formandartisticlanguage.Ibelieveitwilldrawmuchattentionfromboththepublicandartcircles.”
TeacherbyCaoXinlin,oiloncanvas,90×182cm,1984
LandscapebyHeTianjian,inkonpaper,149.6x360.5cm,1952
SalutetheNewErabyLiuKaiqu,sculpture,60x40x78cm,1984