Mao Mass Art: Wang Guangyi

It has been said that [as a means of communication] the medium of writing is better than speech, and the medium of printing is even better. We have to say that painting is better in this sense than thinking, and exhibitions are better than painting. Through the printed word and image fanciful ideas such as mine can become a part of history, where others unknown to me can read and interpret them.
- Wang Guangyi

Wang Guangyi, born in 1952, is one of the most important Chinese Political Pop artist. Wang’s art is themed around cultural critique. Many of his images parallel figures typical of Cultural Revolution Posters. In Wang’s Great Criticism series, the three figures present in the images represent the peasant, soldier, and worker. The three figures represent different social classes in China. Pairing the images with arbitrary consumer brands adds a touch of humor and absurdity. And by breaking the image into numbered colors, Wang satirizes the idea of art for the masse, commonly supported by Mao.




					It has been said that [as a means of communication] the medium of writing is better than speech, and the medium of printing is even better. We have to say that painting is better in this sense than thinking, and exhibitions are better than painting. Through the printed word and image fanciful ideas such as mine can become a part of history, where others unknown to me can read and interpret them. - Wang Guangyi Wang Guangyi, born in 1952, is one of the most important Chinese Political Pop artist. Wang’s art is themed around cultural critique. Many of his images parallel figures typical of Cultural Revolution Posters. In Wang’s Great Criticism series, the three figures present in the images represent the peasant, soldier, and worker. The three figures represent different social classes in China. Pairing the images with arbitrary consumer brands adds a touch of humor and absurdity. And by breaking the image into numbered colors, Wang satirizes the idea of art for the masse, commonly supported by Mao.