2013, Hung Liu, Sorghum Field
From the museum label:
While most paintings in the Happy and Gay series are vibrantly colored, this scene is rendered in black against a muted background. This technique echoes the rough, monochromatic printing style often used in the lianhuanhua books, known for their combination of sequential art and text. Though comics were often printed in color, black-and-white printing was frequently used to reduce costs and increase accessibility.
The featured scene in the painting is drawn from the story of a woman guerilla named Sun Yanxiu, who creeps carefully through the reeds of a battle zone. It may also reference Liu's personal memories of working in the rice and wheat fields during the Cultural Revolution, intertwining her personal history within the context of popular children's comics.
2013, Hung Liu, Sorghum Field
From the museum label:
While most paintings in the Happy and Gay series are vibrantly colored, this scene is rendered in black against a muted background. This technique echoes the rough, monochromatic printing style often used in the lianhuanhua books, known for their combination of sequential art and text. Though comics were often printed in color, black-and-white printing was frequently used to reduce costs and increase accessibility.
The featured scene in the painting is drawn from the story of a woman guerilla named Sun Yanxiu, who creeps carefully through the reeds of a battle zone. It may also reference Liu's personal memories of working in the rice and wheat fields during the Cultural Revolution, intertwining her personal history within the context of popular children's comics.