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Early Spring

Gu Yuan Chinese

1979

Not on view

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.

Early Spring, Gu Yuan (Chinese, 1916–1996), Woodblock print; oil-based black ink on paper, China — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.