Li Hua () March 6, 1907 − May 5, 1994), was a
Chinese woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
artist and
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
known for his participation in
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
activities, was born in
Panyu
Panyu, formerly romanized as Punyü, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Since January 1975, Panyu County has been under Guangzhou's administration. In 1992, Panyu C ...
,
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
.
Career
He graduated from the Municipal Guangzhou Art School in 1926 and remained there as a teacher.
In 1930, Li went to
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
to study
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...
s at in Tokyo.
Li returned to
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
in 1932, after the
Mukden Incident broke out, and served once again as a teacher at the art school where he had studied. At that time, he began to learn woodcutting art. He was influenced by
Lu Xun
Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...
who regarded him as one of the most promising woodcut artists of his generation.
In June 1934, Li founded the Modern Woodcut Society at the Guangzhou Art School with an initial membership of 27.
He produced many woodcuts to protest against the
invasion by the Japanese army and the decaying government that was led by
Chiang Kai-shek. In 1935, Li produced the woodcut ''
Roar, China!''
The woodcut depicts the front view of a "taut, muscular, and naked male body, bound and blindfolded".
Another one of Li's notable woodcut series was ''Raging Tide'' from 1947.
In 1949, he became a professor of the
Central Academy of Fine Arts
The Central Academy of Fine Arts or CAFA is an art academy under the direct charge of the Ministry of Education of China. The Manila Bulletin calls the school "China’s most prestigious and renowned art academy." It is considered one of the most ...
, and continued his artistic creations.
[McCloskey, Barbara, page 10.]
Despite Li not officially joining the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
until 1953, his work had been associated with the leftist cause for many years.
Li died in
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
at the Peking Union Medical Hospital in 1994.
Selected publications
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
Modern Chinese Woodblock Prints & Revolutionary Art''Fleeing Refugees'' (1944)
Li Hua
''Struggle'' (c. 1946)
Li Hua print from his ''Raging Tide'' series
''Arise'' (c. 1947)
Li Hua print from his ''Raging Tide'' series
''Efforts to Accelerate the Four Modernizations'' 为加速实现四化而努力 (1958)
China Central Academy of Fine Arts: Li Hua
1907 births
1994 deaths
Chinese communists
Academic staff of the Central Academy of Fine Arts
People from Panyu District
Artists from Guangzhou
Chinese printmakers
{{China-artist-stub