This is a very good collection of Chinese propaganda posters ranging from 1949 to the 1980s, when the propaganda poster art began to decline as China opened itself more to the West. The book is arranged by themes: discipline, children, women, etc. The art itself is excellent. Granted, this was art for propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but it is clear they put a lot of effort and brought in very good artists to create the art. Within that, you can see the clear patterns and expectations of the art: certain looks, women depicted in somewhat manly fashions, so on. But there was also a lot of attention to detail.

This particular edition is an oversized book. So, I suggest reading it flat on a table or laying in bed. The reproduction quality seems very good, and the annotations are informative, including telling you what banners and book titles in the paintings mean. The book also features some good introductory material to put the posters in context. Nowadays, these posters have mostly become collector items in and out of China. But they do depict a specific time period in China, and I think they do reflect a lot of the aspirations of the people, or at least of the CCP and what they wanted for their nation. This is definitely an interesting book to look through, but one also has to look at it as a piece to learn about history. Academic libraries with art collections or any history of Asia collections probably should have this. ( )

Taschen now offers a pocket version of this book about Chinese Communist propaganda posters in Soviet realism style (or in the US, Norman Rockwell-type idealistic illustrations). While the Chinese people endured war, famine and misery, the propaganda battle was waged in bright colors with happy protagonists marching towards a bright modern future of wealth, knowledge and technology. Unlike the kitsch of North Korea (which was exhibited in Vienna's MAK only a few years ago) or Romania's Ceaușescu, many of these posters have artistic merit and a positive message. Especially the powerful and modern role of women and girls in these paintings is appealing.

In the West, such idealistic and futuristic paintings died out in the 1960s (the Mad Men era) to the 1970s (the fantasy idealism of Star Wars - commemorated by the genius retro travel posters). The end of Communism in Eastern Europe has killed off such illustrations in Eastern Europe (and also China), so that the Middle East, India and the rest of Asia are the remaining places for such non-ironic posters of the Great Leaders and the march of the people towards a brighter future. ( )

This book offers an insight into the modernist utopian visions that permeated the Chinese political class in the 20th century. Modernist realist kitsch is the order of the day in all of the posters.

Art Library - shelved at: B70