Master

After turbulent years of social, political and economic turmoil, Chinese graphic art again enjoyed a vigorous revival in the late 1970s. As a potent example of this first harvest, 'Master' harks back to the spirited realism of the woodcut movement of the 1930s and 1940s, but embraces photographic naturalism in its close observation of a real person, wrinkled by the sun and dirty from tilling the soil. It encapsulates the idea that following liberation the people were masters of their own country. After graduating from the middle school attached to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Xu Kuang concentrated on the woodcut at Chongqing in Sichuan. In collaboration with A Ge, a graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, he created some outstanding graphic works, including 'Master', which was awarded the gold medal at the Fifth Chinese National Art Exhibition in 1979. It also won an honorary award at the Fifth International Graphic Arts Competition held in Norway.

Art Gallery Handbook, 1999. pg.264., After turbulent years of social, political and economic turmoil, Chinese graphic art again enjoyed a vigorous revival in the late 1970s. As a potent example of this first harvest, 'Master' harks back to the spirited realism of the woodcut movement of the 1930s and 1940s, but embraces photographic naturalism in its close observation of a real person, wrinkled by the sun and dirty from tilling the soil. It encapsulates the idea that following liberation the people were masters of their own country. After graduating from the middle school attached to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Xu Kuang concentrated on the woodcut at Chongqing in Sichuan. In collaboration with A Ge, a graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, he created some outstanding graphic works, including 'Master', which was awarded the gold medal at the Fifth Chinese National Art Exhibition in 1979. It also won an honorary award at the Fifth International Graphic Arts Competition held in Norway. Art Gallery Handbook, 1999. pg.264.