Speaker: Mary Ginsberg, Curator of Revolution, Propaganda, Art: Printmaking in Modern China Exhibition.
In revolutionary and wartime societies, propaganda is a vital part of education and political participation. While the term has come to imply sinister manipulation, propaganda, more neutrally, is a means to create involvement; to inspire action and belief in a common cause. Propaganda helped people understand rapid change in 20th century China’s continual tumult.
People think more in terms of images than abstract formulas-especially where much of the population is illiterate, as was the case in revolutionary China. Propaganda art was thus essential to all sides, in every format: paintings, sculpture, posters, stamps, and textbooks. This talk will survey the variety and effectiveness of propaganda and dissident art in the wars, revolutions and rejuvenation of modem China.
Booking required.