Chinese Leaders Depicted in Daily Life

    There are also paintings that portray Chinese leaders in daily life.

    Li Qi (1928-), known as the "best painter in portraying revolutionary leaders," has created a series of paintings depicting great figures. He rendered Premier Zhou Enlai so vividly in Forever Live in the People's Hearts, that Deng Yingchao, Zhou's wife, showered him with praise and arranged to meet him. Our Chief Architect was his representation of Deng Xiaoping, Comrade illustrated Liu Shaoqi, We Are on the Same Side featured Zhu De, and Comrade Bishi was a portrait of Ren Bishi; all had major impact in both the art world and nation at large.

    Li Qi's fixation on PRC founders originates in his childhood experiences. As early as 1937, 9-year-old Li Qi went to Yan'an with his parents. Attending a local reception, Li was thrilled to meet political leaders there, including Mao Zedong. "I will make monuments to them with my paintbrush," Li decided.

    Li Qi's representative work Chairman Mao Leaves Footsteps Across the Country was completed in the early 1960s. It harks back to the time when Mao Zedong and other leaders participated in the construction of the Shisanling Reservoir Project in the suburbs of Beijing. In the painting, Mao Zedong places his left hand on his waist and holds a straw hat in his right, appearing amiable but, at the same time, firm. The leader's confidence and gallantry is highlighted. The windy day indicated by Mao's slightly tousled hair and waving hat string give an impression of dynamism, while his ruddy cheeks suggest his exertion at the hectic construction site. However, the artist applied the "intentional vacancy" technique commonly used in traditional Chinese paintings, in that background details in the painting were absent, leaving room for viewers' imaginations. Even though the dominant figure is alone, it is as if he is surrounded by countless laborers.

    Liu Wenxi (1933-), another admirer of Mao Zedong, shows even more passion for the PRC founders than his contemporaries. As a school boy, Liu Wenxi often told others, "Mao Zedong is a great man. I'm willing to pursue his spirit with my paintbrush, and capture some of that charisma for future generations." Over a bit more than 40 years Liu has visited North Shaanxi Revolutionary Base 58 times, leaving his footprints in 26 counties and over 1,000 villages, testimony to his effort to relive Mao Zedong's experiences.

    In the design of the fifth set of RMB notes in 1997 the People's Bank of China decided to place the head of Mao Zedong on the 100-yuan bill. Liu Wenxi was invited to produce the image, based on his superior work. Liu Wenxi carefully selected photos to model his portrait on and spent another 20 days modifying the studies before presenting the final version. It was approved by the central leadership. Mao Zedong's image on the current RMB bills is the one Liu Wenxi created.

    How many images of Mao Zedong Liu has painted is a question that probably even he himself can't answer. In the 1960s and 1970s, paintings of Liu's such as Early Spring in Date Garden and Heart-to-Heart Chat all refer to the years Mao spent in Yan'an. In these compositions, the leader talks to local farmers, one of whom holds a tobacco pipe and is wearing local dress like his compatriots – including a white turban. To make his works authentic, Liu Wenxi spent days making sketches or meditating in places Mao Zedong was known to stay. Characteristic of this period is Chairman Mao and the Shepherd, in which the farmer can't contain his heartfelt joy as he addresses his beloved leader, while a smiling Mao Zedong is so attentive to the farmer that he forgets to knock off his cigarette ash.

Heart-to-Heart Chat by Liu Wenxi depicts Mao Zedong in Yan'an.