85.

Shen Roujian (1919-98)

Village House

1986

Woodblock print

50 x 61 cm

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This lovely village scene looks more like a painting than a print. Unusually, it was printed with both water-soluble and oil-bound colours. The feeling is impressionistic, but individual details are remarkably realistic, notably the markings on the walls. From 1949, Shen Roujian’s propaganda images celebrated architectural projects and industrial construction in the new People’s Republic. After the Cultural Revolution, however, his creations were rarely political: traditional bird and flower subjects dominate the later works, usually as paintings in watercolour.

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Muban Educational Trust registration number sherj010