Posted: Submitted by wilson888 (179) on Thu, 2005-10-27 06:14. | Subject: Chinese Art in the Cultural Revolution

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Chairman Mao Zedong called on all youth to build a new China in accord with Communist and Maoist ideologies. The boldly coloured, dynamic posters show youth as eager students and fervent Red Guards. Youth are also represented as diligent, selfless soldiers (as in the portrayal of Lei Feng) and as leaders of tomorrow (as in the iconic figure of young Mao).

During the Cultural Revolution, propaganda posters were a primary means of communication and, at a time when access to information was limited, millions were created and widely circulated. Mao rejected the idea of "art for art's sake" and claimed that politics should be the purpose of art, to promote socialist goals for the people. The vibrant posters in this exhibition provided points of access to a time of great change in Chinese history. They not only demonstrated the role of posters in disseminating Party ideology, but also showed how youth embodied hope for the future of China.