Description: This auction is for an original, rare 1976 Chinese propaganda poster from the height of the Cultural Revolution. It depicts farm workers admiring their brand new tractor! It's done in a delightful graphic style that reminds us of classic Walt Disney art. This is an original poster – it is not a reproduction. The item comes from a significant, wide-ranging collection of posters and other rare collectibles of the era acquired 30 years ago from sources in mainland China. These posters were produced to be very much of the moment, printed by the government to convey information to a then widely-illiterate public. Many were intended to depict an idealized vision of the Communist state. They were not intended to be durable art. Like advertising, they were colorful, pleasing, and meant to be replaced by new posters as they came along. Therefore, many did not survive. It’s possible this may be one of the few remaining copies. Note: Round objects on the four corners of the poster are magnets holding the poster for photography. Shipping: Poster will be rolled in a sturdy cardboard poster tube and sent US Post. Category: Agriculture, Cultural Revolution Subject: Farm workers admire new tractor Size: 30 inches x 21 inches (76 cm x 50 cm) Year: 1976 Condition: Near-excellent; no stains, negligible age foxing; small white paper tape repair on back side - doesn't show at all on front; will frame up beautifully! Comments: Cheerful, pleasing poster that would look great in any setting. From the 2015 book, Chinese Propaganda Posters by Stefan R. Landsberger: (Through) its long history, the Chinese political system used the arts to propagate correct behavior and thought. Literature, poetry, painting, stage plays, songs, and other artistic expressions were produced to entertain, but they also were given an important (educational) function: they had to educate the people in what was considered right and wrong at any one time. ...Once the People's Republic was established in 1949, propaganda art continued to be one of the major means to provide examples of correct behavior. But it also gave a concrete expression to many different policies, and to the many different visions of the future the Chinese Communist Party had over the years. In a country with as many illiterates as China had in the 1940s and 1950s, this method of visualizing abstract ideas and...educating the people worked especially well. Propaganda posters, which were cheaply and easily produced, became one of the most favored vehicles for this type of communication. ...The most talented artists were employed to visualize the political trends of the moment in quite detailed fashion. Many of them had worked on the commercial calendars that had been so popular before the People's Republic was founded...Their aim was to portray the future in the present, not only showing "life as it really is," but also "life as it ought to be." ...The content of the posters was largely taken up with the topics of politics and economic reconstruction that dominated China after 1949. Hyper-realistic, ageless, larger-than-life peasants, soldiers, workers, and youngsters in dynamic poses peopled the images. They pledged allegiance to the Communist cause, or obedience to Chairman Mao Zedong, or were engaged in the glorious task of rebuilding the nation. See our 100% Ebay rating with 1300+ transactions and buy with confidence!
Price: 75 USD
Location: Duluth, Georgia
End Time: 2024-11-14T21:57:54.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Style: Chinese
Type: Poster
Subject: Farming
Year of Production: 1975
