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This post was edited by wowzers at 2013-11-12 14:37
Anyone who mistakes these paintings as created during the CR is totally clueless about that dark history.
But here's some insight from that time courtesy of the artist's bio. Incidentally Hu Ming is Australian of Mongolian descent. She left China in the early 90's...
"While she was in high school the Chinese Cultural Revolution was in full swing. Consequently because her teacher knew Hu Ming like to draw, he let her draw Chairman Mao's portrait. However Hu Ming's mother was very concerned about this and mentioned to her daughter "If you cannot draw Chairman Mao's portrait precisely then it will be big trouble for our family, you may even be placed in jail, so please daughter practice draft after draft, until you feel sure you can do it."
"everyone was required to read Chairman Mao's red book every morning between 7:30 till 8:30, however Ming would without fail fall asleep the moment she opened this book, she became notorious amongst her colleagues for being sound asleep every morning at this time and often would be found in dribble. People were starting to talk! Maybe she was losing her mind; she was not toeing the party line. Her commander at this time was a kind and wonderful man, who was a fatherly figure. At this time he called her into his office for a word ..."Ming he started, why is it that you fall asleep each morning, you must read Chairman Mao's book?" Ming replied "Sir I cannot help it, every time I open this book I fall asleep, it is so boring, if it were a story book then I would have no trouble". "Ming he bellowed you must never say this again to anyone! As you would be in serious trouble. He then reached over and gave her a tub of tiger balm and told her to rub a little into her temples each morning at this time, and which he hoped would help her stay awake. Fortunately this did work for Ming and not too soon as her compatriots were starting to talk about her. However Ming loved her sleep at this time as it not only gave her a kind of refuge, but a place to dream and use her imagination. To this day she still paints many people asleep. In retrospection she say's that nobody was 'talking real' during this period of the Cultural Revolution, and it was very dangerous to speak one's truth, as any dissent would end in a jail sentence."
"Her time as a Librarian was a godsend for Ming, and changed her most profoundly. During the cultural revolution, people were only to read Chairman Mao's red book, or his poetry, or some history that was of the "right" sway...all other books were banned, and most were burnt in huge bon fires, yet for some reason of the three truck loads of books that arrived at the hospital, they decided not to burn the last load, and it was Ming's task to categorize three rooms of books piled a metre high on the floors.
She was not allowed to read the books of course, but when she found amongst the mounds of books, classics from Tolstoy to the story of Oliver, she read everything she could get her hands on! She also found records of classical music...the library became a wondrous place for her she would awaken whilst within its walls and fall asleep once she returned to the outside world of the cultural revolution. She would also to much peril smuggle some of the books out of the library under her shirt to give to her girlfriends, and would sit around with them and play some of wonderful music she found.
However it was one day in that library that she found a book that would change her life forever, it was an life drawing book by Michelangelo a book of human anatomy, the figures were of men, and it was the first time for the now 16year old to see the nude. She was in a mental turmoil as she was both absolutely fascinated, yet petrified, as to be found with this would be serious. However despite the danger she took the book back to her room to study and copy the drawings, so she might be able to draw the human body so well. She kept the book in her pillow, along with her underwear and bra's as it was just a convient place to keep them, though one day she discovered to her horror that both the book and her underwear were gone. Ming was in shock; she knew the consequences and wondered who it could have been. She instanting thought of the only man to have a key to her room, and she also knew that there were men around that deliberately stole women's underwear. {:soso_e120:}
Then one day her commander called her into his office, in a voice, that could not be mistaken, she sits down and he places the book in front of her and demands to know where she got this! "From the library" replied Ming. "Ming he said there are naked male images in this book, they are wearing no clothes! And you have copied these images as well! Why to you like this kind of material"? {This kind of book was considered pornographic at this time} Ming was very scared and started to cry, and she also started to believe that she had a problem, she thought to her self that maybe everyone was right "I'm not mentally well" but she retorted "please do not tell my parents"
The commander never reported the incident, however the book was never seen again and the underwear was stolen by another person, whom Ming was sure to be her immediate boss ( an ex-pilot ) as he had one of two key's to her room. From that time on she kept her underwear inside her pillow. The cultural revolution required men and women to be homogeneous, women were not to display their femineity or to wear face cream that contained any perfume, Ming did not see shampoo until the mid 1980's , hence the womanliness of her army girls in her painting." |
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Author: english-learner
Post time 2013-11-12 12:55:48
