The Fire

The Fire is an original artwork realized by Gu Yuan in 1947.

Original xylograph on watermarked paper.

Signed and dated in pencil on the lower right. Inscribed on the lower central margin.

Numbered on the lower left: 26/100 (edition of 100).

Very good conditions.

Very rare and precious artwork representing several people with a huge fire: it is the fire of the leases. The work belongs to the Cultural Revolution in China in the mid-XX century. People are in an open space with the skyline of the Chinese Wall and a dark cloudy sky. The composition is animated and there are many people with flames in the center of the square.

The work was realized by the Chinese artist Gu Yuan ( Zhongshan, Guangdong Province  1919 - 1996). Gu Yuan is known as a woodcut artist. ln 1938, he joined the Communist forces. He studied at the Lu Xun Academy and he graduated in 1940. In 1945, Gu went to Northeast China, where he performed with local cultural groups and worked as a journalist and artist. He was also active in the land reform movement. His work has come to embody the popular style of the liberated areas and has played an important role in spreading the policies of the Communist Party in China before 1949. In 1959, the artist joined the printmaking department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Later, he held the position of President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.