Since China re-opened to the west in the 1980s, artists and historians across the world have leapt at the opportunity to exchange ideas and information. Historians have since written extensively on art created after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, discussing the styles and symbolism that can still be found in contemporary Chinese art and aesthetics today. This course will focus on political art from the period between 1949–1976, including the ten-year period known as the Cultural Revolution, during which time art and literature was heavily regulated. How did art and politics intersect? How did people’s lives change under the policies of the Communist Party, and how was that reflected in art? 

This course will introduce students to major themes in political art during the foundational years of the People’s Republic of China, focusing on paintings and posters.

Tutor: Ferren Gipson