Cheng Misheng / Zhang Lin - Chinese arbeiders en landbouwers aan het werk - 1970s

Lot of two different, but related, Chinese propaganda posters from 1974 and 1975 that glorify work in the countryside (the layout of rice fields) and the harvest. The artists Cheng Misheng and Zhang Lin were part of the 'School of Huxian' (in Shaanxi province, also known for the immense cemetery with the so-called Terracotta Warriors). Farm workers and peasants were 're-trained' by professional painters to depict everyday life in the fields in an idealized way.
Both posters are included in the Landsberger collection.
Condition A-: creases along the top and bottom edges. Images otherwise in integral good condition. Fresh colors.
Shipping: rolled in a sturdy tube with Bpost track & trace.

In the second half of the Cultural Revolution (early 1970s), the works of amateur artists among workers and peasants were given nation-wide attention and support. These amateurs were promoted as representatives of the innate creative genius of the masses, as living proof that everyone could and should practice art.
The Huxian painters excelled in the portrayal of local and national heroes and deep-space landscapes for propaganda purposes; and a strong geometric organisation and repeated patterns, for decorative purposes. Their highly political paintings provided idyllic slices of the good life in the rural areas, and were peopled with happy and enthusiastic peasants engaged in agriculture, political meetings and study sessions.