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The Poet Qu Yuan
Fu Baoshi Chinese
Not on view
The poet-statesman Qu Yuan (343–278 B.C.) drowned himself to prove his moral purity and loyalty in the face of slander. Fu created this compelling image in response to a modern play about Qu Yuan by the historian, poet, and playwright Guo Moruo (1892–1978). Guo revived this historical theme to express both patriotic sentiments and criticism of China’s wartime politics. Capturing the psychological suffering of the poet before his suicide, Fu’s image expresses the grievances and pathos of intellectuals in the face of war and political corruption. The similarity of this composition with a work by Yokoyama Taikan (1868–1958) reveals Fu’s study of contemporary nihonga (Japanese-style paintings).
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