A painting by award-winning Shanghai painter Liu Shuang and fine art photographer Zhu Ying in commemoration of Chairman Mao Zedong’s first meeting with his longtime comrade Dong Biwu was donated to the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China .
Dong (1886-1975) was the only person other than Chairman Mao (1893-1976) to attend both the Party’s founding convention in 1921 and the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China 28 years later. .
The oil painting “Rise at Dawn” is set in June 1921. The first CCP organization in Wuhan was ordered to send two representatives to Shanghai to attend the first national party congress. In early July, Dong traveled to Shanghai as the representative of the Wuhan division. At this meeting, Dong, then 35, met Mao, who was seven years younger. They have forged a deep, long-standing friendship.
Ti Gong
The painting shows Mao and Dong discussing the principles of the Chinese Communist Party and the future of the country one morning before the congress in the room where Dong lived.
At the end, facing the balcony, there is a shikumen building (stone gate). In the distance, you can vaguely see emblematic buildings of the Bund. The two intertwined plane trees symbolize the vigorous growth of friendship and the ideals of the founding fathers.
“The Communist Manifesto” and the New Youth magazine are also featured in the painting.
“In the process of creating this work over the past two years, we have used 3D modeling and high-tech means and hired special actors to recreate the scene,†Liu told the Shanghai Daily.
“The creative team were carefully guided by experts in Party history. With the help of them, we made many field trips to the scene’s original site.”
He said that they also received strong support and help from Dong’s family.
Last year, Liu became the first Chinese painter to win the Ondaatje Portrait Prize.
In the new work, the 40-year-old painter mainly used the realistic painting techniques of the 19th century French academic school, with a background mixed with Impressionist painting.
In the distant background, the rising sun reflects light across the entire image. Red is also the symbolic color of the CPC.
The painting combines realistic facial expressions, symbolic composition and the romantic expression of the color of modern impressionist painting, which helps to demonstrate the vision and hope of the two young great men for the future of the country in the early days. of the founding of the Party.
The memorial to the first national party congress opened to the public in June. It includes the old convention site on Xingye Road and a new exhibition hall opposite Huangpi Road S.
Ti Gong
Liu Shuang (left) and Zhu Ying donate their painting to the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
