[SB Wang]

Dec.26,2003 will be Mao Zedong's 110 years birthday.
For Chinese PLA (army) artist Peng Bin, Mao is still his hero. Peng, joined in revolution army in 1940 at age 13. In 1965, Peng's work, first in history depicting Mao and Lin Biao in the Long March, caused nation-wide sensation. His director suggested that not making a likeness of Lin, because of power struggle, who will be in power is uncertain, but he refused. A year later, Lin became the second powerful leader.

Since 1968 Peng was persecuted, jailed for ten years because his involving in the Cultural Revolution (not by his art). After Lin's losing favour and death, and after 6 years of vacancy of literate and art, Mao's wife initiated national art shows in 1972, Peng with two colleagues, He Kongde and Gao Hong, (now, He is in hospital, Gao's hands are shaking) painted another work about Mao, displayed at the center of gallery.

In 1978, Peng's work was in a prominent spot again, for his painting of Mao and chosen successor Hua, was selected from over forty works of same theme by other artists. (Hua stepped down 3 years later). Hearing this news, his tears were pouring out, that means he resumed a political life ahain. Peng's works were almost like milestones, before the breakout and conclusion of the Cultural Revolution, while most of the time he was behind iron bars.

While still in jail, he started contriving another major work, using used matches as tool. Mao is in the center, but many of those subjects in that painting, politburo members, generals, like Peng, were still in jail, and were Lin's opponent. A year later, the major newspaper wanted his work, then still a drawing, could not be waited to be painted by oil, be published.

That is Peng's tough life. Peng looks twenty years younger than his age. (in 1975, his wife, one of Mao's political secretaries, divorced him and married with a general, died this year by cancer, Peng never married again). When I visited his studio, a new painting is on the way, he, as usual, will be the first one to painting Mao with his enemy and opponent in Chong Qin Negotiation, Chiang Kai-shek, as a positive figure.
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