Amid the echoes of history, the China Art Museum in Shanghai unveils Carving History – an exhibition spotlighting woodcut prints that fueled China's cultural resistance during the War of Resistance (1931-1949). Featuring over 100 works from the New Woodcut Movement, the collection reveals how artists transformed simple carving tools into instruments of national solidarity and defiance.
Notable pieces like Wang Qi's Flesh-Bombing Defender immortalize the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, capturing a pilot's final act of bravery through stark, angular lines. Meanwhile, Li Lu's satirical depictions of fascist leaders blend dark humor with anti-authoritarian critique, offering rare visual commentary on global political struggles during an era predating widespread photojournalism.
"These works were newspapers, propaganda, and memorials all in one," explained museum director Zhang Wei. "Artists risked persecution to document air raids, refugee crises, and frontline sacrifices – creating what we now recognize as a visual chronicle of resilience."
The exhibition highlights woodcuts' unique role in wartime mobilization, with easily reproducible works circulating through underground networks across the Chinese mainland. Today, their bold aesthetic continues to inspire contemporary artists exploring themes of social justice and collective memory.
Carving History runs through December 15, offering historians and art enthusiasts alike fresh perspectives on how creativity flourished amid adversity.
