Asian Art Resource Room

Imagined Revolution

Produced during approximately a decade from Mao’s announcement of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, a period when anyone was able to cite from the Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, the ‘Little Red Book,’ these posters were put up both in the home as well as in the streets. The ubiquitous Chairman Mao is depicted as the sun, around which the people are sunflowers. Strong slogans are an essential element of these posters along with the powerful homogeneity and conformity imparted by the ever present sea of red flags, and sun rays. Building on the style set by the new year’s pictures, these works were produced across the country during the Cultural Revolution period.