Description
Gu Yuan Color Woodcut – Fight Across the Yangtze River
This Gu Yuan color woodcut depicts Chinese soldiers crossing the Yangtze River and landing under enemy fire. Entitled Fight Across the Yangtze River, the composition was originally created in 1950 and became one of Gu Yuan’s best-known historical images.
The present example is an early reprint believed to date from approximately 1952-1957.
A group of armed soldiers jumps from a crowded boat and advances towards the riverbank. Explosions rise from the water in the distance, while thick clouds of black smoke dominate the right side of the composition. At the head of the group, a soldier runs forward carrying the red flag of China.
The dramatic combination of black, red, orange and pale blue creates a particularly striking visual effect. The diagonal movement of the boat, running soldiers, smoke and flag gives the entire composition a powerful sense of urgency.
The Crossing of the Yangtze River
The subject refers to the major military campaign in which the People’s Liberation Army crossed the Yangtze River during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Gu Yuan produced this composition in 1950, shortly after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Rather than presenting a distant or static battle scene, the artist places the viewer directly alongside the soldiers as they leave their boat and advance through smoke and explosions.
The red flag provides the principal focus of the image. Its bright colour contrasts dramatically with the surrounding black smoke and guides the eye towards the forward movement of the figures.
A Masterpiece of Modern Chinese Printmaking
The work demonstrates Gu Yuan’s mastery of colour woodcut printing. Broad areas of intense black are combined with energetic carved lines and carefully selected colours. The water is represented through rhythmic blue, black and white marks, while the orange sky and dense smoke contribute to the dramatic atmosphere.
Despite the large number of figures, the composition remains clearly structured. Each soldier participates in the collective movement, from the men still inside the boat to those already reaching the shore.
The image combines historical narrative, political symbolism and strong decorative qualities. Its bold colours and immediately understandable action made it particularly effective as an image of collective courage and revolutionary victory.
About Gu Yuan
Gu Yuan (古元, 1919-1996) was one of the most important figures in twentieth-century Chinese printmaking. Born in Guangdong Province, he travelled to Yan’an and joined the Communist forces in Shaanxi in 1938.
He studied at the Lu Xun Academy of Arts, where artists were encouraged to create accessible works addressing the lives and experiences of workers, soldiers and rural communities.
Gu Yuan combined the expressive qualities of modern European woodcuts with visual principles derived from traditional Chinese popular prints. His compositions are distinguished by their strong contrasts, clear narrative structure and attention to individual human gestures.
He later became an influential teacher and held a leading position at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. His woodcuts are now represented in major Chinese and international collections.
Date and Nature of This Impression
The original colour woodcut was created in 1950. The present sheet is considered an early impression or reprint dating from circa 1952-1957.
It should therefore be described as a mid-twentieth-century printing after the original 1950 composition, rather than as a first impression made in 1950. It is not a recent decorative reproduction.
Details and Condition
Artist: Gu Yuan 古元 (1919-1996)
Title: Fight Across the Yangtze River
Chinese title: 打过长江
Original composition: 1950
Date of this impression: circa 1952-1957
Country of origin: China
Technique: colour woodcut on paper
Sheet dimensions: 36 × 24.3 cm
Printed image dimensions: 25.4 × 15 cm
Presentation: unframed
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