Exploded in laughter when receiving this postcard from Valentine Mark Herman on which he added "to Guido .. & Ann ?". Loved the question mark!
On the back of the card the famous quote on art and literature that Mao pronounced at the Yunan conference in 1942 that there is no art outside the class system and the political lines determined by opposing ideologies. Haha, hadn't read that nonsense since the 70's.
It is a rejection of "l'art pour l'art" while in my book, dear Mao, the art for the sake of art is the real revolutionary approach because it is the expression of real independent art forms, independent from ruling ideologies, political lines of parties, the government, those in power and so on.
Lenin's vision on art as propaganda never seduced me (though I recognize the great value of that propaganda art, certainly in the beginning of the Soviet Union, see the excellent serial on Soviet art of the BBC for instance). I was educated by a Dutch poetic quote (as poignant as Mao's quotes in his little red book): "Kunst is de allerindividueelste expressie van de allerindividueelste emotie" or "art is the utmost individualistic expression of the utmost individualistic emotion". "How bourgeois!" is shouting Mao, turning & shaking in his new emperor's tomb…Still having trouble with Alzheimer in the coffin, comrade?
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