Revolutionary voices: Cultural Revolution posters from the Crane House

The exhibition 'Revolutionary Voices' examines ways Cultural Revolution Posters were used by the Chinese Communist Party as an effective tool for government control during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China.;Posters became ubiquitous and were used extensively for re-education programs by the Red Guard. They were seen as the most effective way to display the ideology of the Mao. These posters were shaped by Mao's call for a fusion of revolutionary realism and revolutionary idealism. They represented a socialist utopia by using fanciful scenes filled with beautiful, healthy youth and joyful, hard working peasants excited by the new order that Mao's revolutionary voice outlined in his "Little Red Book." These quotations of Mao, with their simple homilies and moral guidance became almost a bible for the Chinese people.;The posters contained bright images to convey Mao's revolutionary voice to the people, but they also can be viewed as aesthetic object. They were widely circulated and almost every house had at least one of the posters and many people decorated their homes with them. During this period, people lived in a very Spartan society. The culture, because of its attempt at a revolutionary new beginning, became very aware not to use old ways, including art, for objects of decoration or enjoyment. Consequently, these posters became important ways to bring color and aesthetic pleasure into individual homes. The exhibition demonstrates the role of posters in disseminating the ideology of Mao's politics, and shows how ordinary people embraced hope in the future of China. The exhibition examines the social, cultural, and historical context that these Chinese propaganda posters delineated and helped to define during the Cultural Revolution and how they continue to influence post-Cultural Revolution art in China.;The Cultural Revolution was launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16, 1966. It ended ten years later in September 1976. Mao used the poster as an important method of communication. The posters were a direct way to communicate with mass audiences while limiting access to information during the Cultural Revolution.