This graphic novel presents the vibrant oil-painted illustrations of "Maple" created by Bin Li, a well-known artist. It tells the tragic fate of two young lovers who joined opposing Red Guard factions during the Cultural Revolution. This book also helps readers to re-examine the aesthetics and characteristics of the Chinese "scar art" in the changing times.
This book was adapted from a short story by Yi Zheng, one of the representative pieces of "scar literature." The story reveals the suffering of a generation of young people during the Cultural Revolution due to naïve ideals, ignorance, and fanatical worship.
Originally published in 1979, the gouache graphic novel "Maple" is widely regarded as a representative piece of the Chinese "scar art." Nine of its 32 original gouache paintings are collected by the National Art Museum of China. However, the remaining 23 paintings disappeared mysteriously in 1986. From 2007 to 2017, Bin Li, one of the original three artists, recreated all illustrations with oil paints by himself.
This book also includes a preface by Danqing Chen, articles by Gongming Li, Yi Zheng, and Bin Li, the original gouache paintings, as well as commentaries on "Maple" in Chinese contemporary art history.
Of high artistic aesthetic value, this book is an important document for the study of politics and art in the special historical period of modern China. It invites readers to re-examine the literary and artistic struggle after the Cultural Revolution and the cultural heritage in the post-revolutionary era.
中國"文革"後開創"傷痕美術"的驚天雷鳴！
原畫稿神秘失蹤後的激情重繪與更加奪目的藝術光芒！
陳宜明、劉宇廉和李斌合作的水粉連環畫《楓》發表於1979年，至今被公認為"文革"結束後開創"傷痕美術"的最具震撼力和里程碑式的作品。《楓》講述了一對青年學生戀人在"文革"中的命運悲劇故事，揭示了"文革"時期一代青年因天真理想、無知和狂熱崇拜而付出的生命代價何其沉痛。
《楓》原創畫稿在80年代"神秘失蹤"。李斌於2007年至2017年期間以一己之力用油畫材料重新創作了《楓》，以不滅的激情與更為成熟的藝術風格重新鑄造出時代的視覺記憶與藝術文本。至此《楓》先後經歷了從文學文本到連環畫和從水粉原作到油畫重繪的雙重超越性轉變。
本圖冊包括了李斌的油畫連環畫《楓》以及原版水粉連環畫《楓》，還收入了陳丹青《序》、李公明《專論》、鄭義《有感》等文章，以及畫家本人的自述文章等資料。這是連環畫《楓》自問世以來最權威的彙編本，是研究中國現代特殊歷史時期中的政治與藝術的重要文獻。
