33.

Li Hua (1907-94)

Catching Fish

1956

Woodblock print

22 x 33 cm

​

After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, all art was required to serve the revolution and the state. Colourful, optimistic prints replaced the critical black and white graphics of the 1930s and 40s. By the mid-1950s, the economy had stabilized, and new social structures were in place. Arts policies were relaxed for a time, as evident in this print. There is no specific political content here at all. The respite from propaganda was short-lived, reversed in 1957 with the Anti-Rightist Movement.

Muban Educational Trust registration number livhv027