Domestic Landscapes
(in Belgium above, Portugal below)
Remaking China and the Chinese
Stefan Lansberger has been collecting Chinese posters since the 70s and by now has one of the world’s largest collections.
The Dutch academic has written books explaining and interpreting the propaganda, and this website provides a generous introduction, breaking the message and art styles into different periods and influences. He even identifies and makes notes about the individual artists.
The poster above was frowned on by the bureaucrats, btw — plainer women toiling on the land were preferred. The main point of the pic though was probably to show the Mao watching over the newly defined family like a benevolent uncle.
(In reality, would he have had two of those children killed?)
“In some cases, the artists were accused of tending to depict elegant ‘modern city girls’, with highly patterned blouses and scarves, pale skins and manicured hands, much in the vein of the starlets who had been shown endorsing soap or cigarettes.”
This was better:
See also Chinese Posters, a site that accompanies his book of that name.
This photographer,Yinka Oyelese, is a phenomenon! He claims to have taken up his hobby only four years ago, and yet his output is vast and very high-quality. In between times he earns his living as a professor of obstetrics in New Jersey.
Came home from Dunedin Sunday night really tired.
Letter had been waiting since Friday from G. When I read it I cried.
He had been reading The Prophet and had been thinking about me.
I was uptight all weekend cos I knew G would have been at the concert (Mayall was OURS).
And now I find this letter. I keep dreading meeting him again cos I’m so uptight.
I still can’t get over the incredibility of it.
He was 18 then and I was 17; it only lasted a month.
In June it’ll be two years since we met — now I’m nearly 19 and he’s 20. Grown-ups? Never.
We are children of forever.
There was a gift evening for silly pregnant C. I sat in the corner and talked to Hazel all night.
The guy over the road from her is apparently crazy on me and has photos of me all over his wall. Apparently he was adopted and is always getting beaten and locked inside by his parents.Makes me feel really bad. He’s such a sweet wee guy, with beautiful big black eyes. … C’s wedding a non-event, the service an absolute farce. We all had a great time at the reception, playing outside, dancing in the porch, sitting in the hall. All to Mike Jones’s place later and Lindsay Rabbitt did his usual strip act. God, that guy’s got a vile body. Janet had a French friend with her.
FANTASTIC-looking with dark hair and beard, dark eyes and beautiful mouth. Real lady-killer. Ghastly French accent though.
Janet and I took him to the beach and park next day.
Cool day really. _______ Friday was the start of an unforgettable weekend! Early morning up to Dunedin on the train and Paul, his friend and I spent all that time giving the hostesses a hard time, drinking beer and carrying on. Wandered Dunedin shops, bought an LP and ran into lots of friends.
Annette and I went to a Malaysian party that night.
Good scene — some of those guys are really beautiful. Went down about 4.20 to interview John Mayall when he arrived.
And that I’ll never forget.
His wife was … (sorry, really couldn’t publish that).
He wasn’t particularly warm to me either but at least I met him and we talked for about five minutes.
THE CONCERT WAS INCREDIBLE, way beyond description.
Solid, brilliant blues that tore everyone’s hearts out!
Keef Hartley was fantastic. ________ I’ve never been so excited, ever. Man, I have to see them again.
I’ll go to England for it.



