Committed to a more egalitarian social and economic
order, Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Communist Party set about
fashioning a new China, one that would empower peasants and workers and
limit the influence of landlords, capitalists, intellectuals, and
foreigners. Spreading these
ideas was the mission of the propaganda departments and teams. Political posters, reproduced from paintings, woodcuts, and other
media, were displayed prominently in classrooms, offices, and homes.
The artists who produced these works had to follow the guidelines set by Mao Zedong at the 1942 Yanan Forum for Literature and
Art. Art was to serve politics and further the revolutionary
cause. Toward that end, it must
be appealing and accessible to the masses. Artists, previously
fairly independent from politics, were now a key component in the
revolutionary machine. “Cultural
workers” were sent out to villages and factories to study folk art and
learn from real life. In
addition, workers and peasants were encouraged to attend art schools and
create artwork of their own.
|