Visual Culture in Communist China

My name is Megan Brown and I am a visual art and art history double major. I am from Fairfield CT and have been studying art for as long as I can remember. This past break I spent three weeks at the Louvre, which gave me a lot of insight about how time periods impact the art world. This makes me very excited to learn about how communist China took a role in the art produced at the time. I am also in SDT (pictured below)

Hi, I’m Lars and I’m named after a great-great-grandfather in case you were wondering. I am a junior here at Union and am studying Economics and Political Science. I’m from Norwalk, Connecticut and live on the Southeastern Long Island Sound. Some of my favorite things to do include spending time on the water and going fishing with friends. I have taken multiple classes with Professor Lullo now and decided to enroll in this one because I am very interested in the point in history we are covering, as well as how Communism effected art and the artists ability to express themselves.

My name is Hein Htet Aung (Thomas), I am currently a junior majoring in Art History and Studio Arts. I am from Yangon, Myanmar and I am taking this class because I don’t know much about contemporary artists from China. Currently I am a member of LitMag. Super excited for this class and hopefully I can take back what I learn from this class into my studio practices!!

Hello, my name is Joe Lifrak.  I’m a sophomore studying biology, with a possible change to environmental science.  I was born in Rhode Island and lived in Florida when I was younger.  I now live in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, about 20 minutes outside of Providence, Rhode Island.  I love to ski, scuba dive, and fish.  I also lifeguard down by Cape Cod.  I am very excited for my first art class here at Union and hope it helps expand my knowledge.  The politics and art seem extremely interesting and can’t wait to learn.

Hi everyone, My name is Colin Murphy, I was born and raised in Wellesley Massachusetts. I’m a senior studying economics and am the president of the men’s rugby team. My first introduction to studying art was when I went on the mini-term to Paris this winter break. While we saw a lot of art I didn’t know much about any of it. Now that I’m back I want to continue to learn about art history in my time remaining here at Union.

HI! I’m a senior, and I’m a double major in visual arts and sociology. I am also from Philadelphia (like Quentin)! I love to travel and I spend as much time as I can outside. During my time at Union, I got interested in art and have taken a variety of studio courses, but my favorite medium is photography. I fell in love with the dark room, the process, and the overall hands-on element of film photography.

I am excited about this course because I find it fascinating to see and learn about the different ways in which Chinese artists expressed themselves during such a contentious time period, especially under immensely austere conditions.

Here is a photo I took on a hike in the Catskills last summer and a self portrait taken at Storm King Art Center.

My name is Kristy and I am a senior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Studio Arts. I am from Westford, Massachusetts. This past spring term I studied abroad in Florence and had the opportunity to study sculptures and oil paintings from famous Italian Renaissance artists. As a Studio Arts minor it was the first time that I studied art history and learned that one painting could actually have an endless amount of descriptive narratives. I was interested in this course because I wanted to expand my knowledge amongst different cultural art and also because it is so uniquely different than what I am used to seeing. I wish to work in a field involving clinical research and hopefully can incorporate my passion for painting and digital art in some way.

This was one of my favorite places while traveling, Capri, Italy.

My name is Sophie, I’m a junior majoring in Studio Arts and Art History. I’m from London, England. I have always loved working with children and worked as a teaching assistant while I was on my gap year. Living in London has given me a lot of exposure to many significant artists — I was able to see Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern. I’m very interested in the course material as I think that this class will offer various perspectives on the many historical events that have occured in China, as artists explore their personal experiences throughout different time periods.

This is my dog Sadie

Hi, I’m Arjen. I am a junior with a dual major in studio fine arts and art history. I have lived my whole life on the North Shore in Gloucester, Massachusetts where I like to spend my time on the beach, on a boat, or at the quarries. I have taken arts of China with Professor Lullo before and I am taking this course because as an artist and an art history student I have a massive apreciation for the discipline behind Chinese art and I am fascinated by the influence it has had on modern culture.

Here is some of my recent artwork.