Illustration:
ill. 5.30 b (set: 5.30)
Author:
Liu Chunhua (1944-), Wang Hui (1943 -) 刘春华, 王晖
Date:
1969
Genre:
oil painting, propaganda poster
Material:
scan, paper, colour; original source: oil painting, colour
Source:
Liu Chunhua and Wang Hui, Mao Zedong at Mount Jinggang, 1969, (DACHS 2009 New New Year Prints), Heidelberg catalogue entry
Inscription:
毛主席在井岡山 （油画）
一九二七年十月，我们偉大领袖毛主席率領秋收起义部队来到井岡山，親自創建了第一个农村革命根据地，为中国革命胜利开辟了唯一正确的光辉道路。
HeidICON Image ID:
52149
Keywords:
Mao Zedong, Cultural Revolution, propaganda poster, Mao portrait, mountains, leader, clouds, young Mao
Mao Zedong at Mount Jinggang (Mao zhuxi zai Jinggang shan 毛主席在井冈山)
A comparison with this propaganda poster from the Cultural Revolution depicting the same subject Mao Zedong at Mount Jinggang 毛主席在井冈山 (1969) based on an oil painting by Liu Chunhua and Wang Hui 王晖 (1943-) makes explicit what else could have been “better”—in Cultural Revolution terms. Here Mao is shown on top of the mountains, not at their feet, with a straight back, he is the central focus of the image, not moved slightly off to the right as in Luo Gongliu’s depiction. In this propaganda poster, Mao looks into the viewers’ direction and he is at work, not taking a rest with a cigarette in hand. Instead, his hand is propped assertively into his waist. The flowers around him are all averted toward him, the obvious source of light, a point strongly supported by the brightness of his shirt (Wang & Yan 2000:69).
But only such Cultural Revolution political standards would make Luo’s picture (ill. 5.30a) into an ambiguous statement. By itself, it does nothing but imply reverence towards that benevolent, stately, good-looking Mao with his smooth, bright and shining face, looking hopefully into the distance, with great victories and strides before him. This is mentioned in the caption to the Cultural Revolution poster which explains that Mao has opened the only correct and shining road of victory for the Chinese revolution 为中国革命胜利开辟了唯一的正确光辉道路 and has left some smaller losses behind him (a fact which would have explained his need for rest and his slightly slumped position in the Luo Gongliu depiction).
