Highlighting works in Riding the Strong Currents: 20th and 21st Century Chinese Paintings from the AMAM Collection, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art Kevin R. E. Greenwood will discuss 1970s-era Chinese art in the AMAM collection in a style called Socialist Realism. Developed in the Soviet Union and promoted by the government of the People’s Republic of China beginning in the 1950s, Socialist Realism was an idealized, colorful, and dynamic form of art made to convey political messages to the public. The challenge today in evaluating these works lies in confronting a vision of this art as only a tool of propaganda. Can we appreciate Socialist Realist paintings despite their political messages?
Access Statement:
These events are held in a wheelchair- and rolling walker-accessible building. The lecture space is wheelchair accessible, with moveable seating, and near wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Restrooms are gender-specific; visitors are invited to use the restroom of their preference. No listening devices or ASL interpretation will be available at this event. Most talks will be recorded and available with closed captions on the museum’s Vimeo page after the event. Please email access questions to Jill Greenwood, jgreenwo@oberlin.edu.
