Illustration:
ill. 5.37 b (set: 5.36)
Author:
Wang Huaiqi 王怀骐
Date:
1974
Genre:
painting, New Year Print
Material:
scan, paper, colour; original source: ink on paper, colour
Source:
Traditional Styles: 红日照海, 1974, (DACHS 2012, Continuous Revolution), Heidelberg catalogue entry
Inscription:
红日照海河 红日照海河 为纪念毛主席一定要抓治海河光辉题词十周年一九七三年七月
Keywords:
nianhua, New Year Print, guohua 国画, national style, calligraphic poetry, Mao Zedong, Mao portrait, landscape, mountains, iconic

Traditional Styles: The Red Sun is shining on the sea (Xieyihua: Hong ri zhao hai和 写意画: 红日照海河)

In spite of the fact that the production of “Hotel Art” (art produced for the foreign visitors who began to come to China more frequently after the Nixon visit in 1972) was a rather shortlived affair, its influence was obviously felt in the production of official MaoArt since the early 1970s as well. A rough statistical survey of several Cultural Revolution Poster collections shows that a sample from 1966-1971 would contain only ½ the number of traditional-style images from a sample 1971-1976.

While in the first half of the Cultural Revolution, Mao would not appear as he did in 1977, in an ink painting marked by its inscription of calligraphic poetry, he would make a comeback as such already in 1974 (ill. 5.37 a & b). A significant sign of a change in acceptability had been given with the opening of an exhibit of “Masterpieces of Chinese Traditional Painting” held at the Beijing Palace Museum (Art and China’s Revolution 2008:240) in 1971, to be continued, in 1973, by the State Council special exhibition of national style painting (Andrews 1994:350). See also DACHS Continuous Revolution.