Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan: A Perfect Example of Propaganda Art Essay

Liu Chunhua's painted Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan in 1967. The painting depicts a youthful Chairman Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China, walking on a mountain top at a backdrop of misty clouds (Chiem, n.d.). Chairman Mao, who is in traditional Chinese attire, expresses a face full of resolve. This appearance indicates the painter visualized he was prepared to overcome all challenges he faced as he fought to alleviate the plight of the disadvantaged people of China (Chiem, n.d.). Thus, the painting immortalizes a time in the Chinese Communist Party's past by honoring Chairman Mao's unwavering commitment to its ideologies (Chiem, n.d.).

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The painting utilizes "socialist realism" to display Mao as a revolutionary leader dedicated to defending the vulnerable public (Chiem, n.d., para. 1). The painter used cool shades of blue and purple to symbolize Mao's willpower as he marched to address the predicament of those in anguish (Chiem, n.d.). Lui accentuates Mao's rightful role as the revolutionary leader by visualizing him emerging from a mountain summit "with clouds of mist below," a scenery that evokes divinity in China (Chiem, n.d., para. 7). The artist, however, hints on Mao's ability to lead China to modernity by including a speck of a telephone line at the lower left part and water cascading from a dam at the right side of the painting (Chiem, n.d.). To cement the legend of Mao as the greatest leader of the Chinese Cultural Revolution that started in 1922, the painter presented Mao holding an umbrella tucked under one arm (Chiem, n.d.). Mao clasps his other hand into a fist (Chiem, n.d.). This portrayal combines with his windswept outfit to give him a superhero, but pragmatic and alluring, aura (Chiem, n.d.).

This painting is an iconic feature of the Revolution for it honors the grassroots nature of the Chinese revolutionary past (Chiem, n.d.). It also endeared Mao to the people, which sparked their loyalty to him, during the rowdy period (Chiem, n.d.). Having been "reproduced over nine hundred million times, and distributed widely in print, sculpture, and other media" Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan represents one of the most potent propaganda tools the Chinese Communist Party has used over time (Chiem, n.d., para. 8).

References

Chunhua, L. (1967). Chairman Mao en route to Anyuan [Oil]. Chiem, K. (n.d.). Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en route to Anyuan. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/liu-chunhua-chairman-mao

Chiem K. (n.d.). Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en route to Anyuan. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/liu-chunhua-chairman-mao