Listening to a Speech in Yan’an
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.In its volumetric forms rendered through contrasting areas of light and dark, this print reflects Liqun’s background in Western-style painting. The subject matter of a new kind of femininity and motherhood, however, is revolutionary. While nursing her baby, the female soldier clad in a uniform listens intently to something outside the picture frame and takes notes. As the title indicates, she is absorbed in a broadcast speech in Yan’an, the Communist power base in northwest China.
Liqun began his artistic career at the China National Art Academy in Hangzhou in 1931. By 1940, he had found his way to Yan’an, where he became an instructor at the Lu Xun Institute of Literature and Art.
Liqun began his artistic career at the China National Art Academy in Hangzhou in 1931. By 1940, he had found his way to Yan’an, where he became an instructor at the Lu Xun Institute of Literature and Art.
Artwork Details
- Yan'an ting baogao
- Title: Listening to a Speech in Yan’an
- Artist: Li Qun (Chinese, born 1912)
- Date: 1940
- Culture: China
- Medium: Woodblock print; oil-based ink on paper, probably taken from a zinc plate
- Dimensions: Image: 8 15/16 x 6 5/8 in. (22.7 x 16.8 cm)
Overall: 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 40.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art