The invincible Mao Zedong Thought illuminates the stage of revolutionary art!

战无不胜的毛泽东思想照亮了革命艺术舞台!
Zhan wubushengde Mao Zedong sixiang zhaoliangle geming yishu wutai!
The invincible Mao Zedong Thought illuminates the stage of revolutionary art!
1969, May
Zhejiang renmin meishu chubanshe (浙江人民美术出版社)
54x78 cm.
BG E15/573

Jiang Qing dominated the Chinese arts. In particular she attempted to reform the Beijing Opera. She developed a new form of art called "model works" (yangbanxi) that depicted the world in simple, binary terms: all the good guys were farmers, workers and revolutionary soldiers who sang and danced around on the stage. All the bad guys were landlords and anti-revolutionaries who wore dark make-up and moped around on the outskirts of the stage. The fact that Mao is beaming down on her, as well as that Mao's Red book is in her hands, is no coincidence: her power was largely vested in her relationship to the Chairman.