Azalea, A Contemporary Woodcut Print by Du hongnian - 1986

1986. 1st Edition . No Binding. Very Good. Original multicolored woodcut print. Signed and stamped by the artist Du hongnian 1986 on bottom of the front print. A red seal showing Chinese characters Du Hongnian on the bottom. Chinese characters title "Du juan hua" written with pencil on bottom of the front print. Slight worn on the right edge not affecting the print. Slight water marks on bottom. Otherwise in very good condition. This print titled "Azalea", is a famous work by Du Hongnian's woodcut printed in the middle of the eighties. Du Hongnian, 1928-1998, was a pioneer and grand old master of modern Chinese printmaking. He was from the same generation as Chao Mei, born 1931, and Gu Yuan (1919-1996). Prints by these early masters of modern Chinese printmaking are rare today. Du Hongnian was born in 1928. He was an artist of the era of Mao Zedong. Du Hongnian joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Nanjing in 1950. In 1956 he learned oil painting in Shanghai at a youth art study class. In 1958 Du Hongnian retired from the PLA and was sent to Heilongjiang province. At that time this northeast province was undergoing a huge development project to turn the wastelands into farmland. In 1962 Du Hongnian became a member of the Artists Association of Heilongjiang province. During his lifetime his prints and paintings were shown in many countries including France, Germany and Albania. Art works by Mr. Du Hongnian are in the collections of the National Art Museum of China. He died in 1998. Engraved area 240 x 145 mm Size: 18.9x15.4 inch