Early Spring

Gu Yuan Chinese
1979
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The freshness and insouciance of early spring is conveyed here in an exquisite lacework of fine tree branches and its rippled reflection in a lake. This lyrical print differs radically from the artist’s early works with explicit political references, such as Burning up Land Deeds (cat. no. 66). Produced one year after Deng Xiaoping announced his political and economic reforms in 1978, it attests to the catalytic power of politics on the arts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Chu chun
  • Title: Early Spring
  • Artist: Gu Yuan (Chinese, 1916–1996)
  • Date: 1979
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Woodblock print; oil-based black ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 14 5/16 x 18 5/16 in. (36.4 x 46.5 cm)
    Overall: 20 x 27 in. (50.8 x 68.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art