The commune's fishpond

公社鱼塘
Gongshe yutang
Dong Zhengyi - The commune's fishpond
1973
Renmin meishu chubanshe (人民美术出版社)
53x77 cm.
BG E13/353

One of the most famous Huxian peasant paintings, especially popular in the West. This edition, with captions in English, French, and German, was intended for export.

Of this painting, Dong said: "We artists paint the future and also the revolutionary ideal, not just things as they are. In our village the fishpond is not exactly like this ; there's a wall round it. But in order to reflect the bright future I took out the wall. To express the bumper harvest, all the fish are jumping, all their scales are bright and shining. The little fish are escaping from the net. The net lets them through. The little fish are the new generation growing up. This is intended to show development; we don't eat up all the fish."
(Qouted from 'Painting the Future', in: Peasant paintings from Huhsien County of the People's Republic of China (Los Angeles : US-China Peoples Friendship Association, 1977)

Search this site

Share this page

Order a reprint of this poster at chinesepostershop.com: