The Crucible
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Against the towering background furnace that radiates sparks and flames, the lean but muscular bodies of two laborers glow under more dramatic lighting as they go about smelting metals in a crucible. The print thus juxtaposed and celebrated two kinds of raw energy—one human, the other industrial—as China began to modernize.
The print’s dense texture, vivid details, and layered visual effects recall Soviet wood engravings, which Huangyan greatly admired.
The print’s dense texture, vivid details, and layered visual effects recall Soviet wood engravings, which Huangyan greatly admired.
Artwork Details
- Zhuguo
- Title: The Crucible
- Artist: Huangyan (Zhang Weiyao) (Chinese, 1920–1989)
- Date:
probably 1946–47
- Culture: probably Taipei, Taiwan
- Medium: Multiple woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 6 9/16 x 4 5/16 in. (16.6 x 11 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