Chapter 83 About the use of models in painting and sculpture[1]

(July 18, 1965) Comrades Dingyi, Kang Sheng, Enlai, Shaoqi, Xiaoping, Peng Zhen[2]: This should change.Drawing nude models[3] of men, women and children is a basic skill necessary for painting and sculpture, and it is inappropriate to prohibit it from feudal thinking.It doesn't matter if something bad happens.For the sake of the art discipline, I did not hesitate to make small sacrifices.Please use discretion. Mao Zedong July 18, 1965 According to the "Selected Letters of Mao Zedong" published by People's Publishing House in 1983. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

note [1] This is Mao Zedong’s comment on the letter written by Wen Lipeng, Wang Shikuo, and Li Huaji, teachers of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, to Jiang Qing on May 12, 1965, regarding the use of models in the Academy of Fine Arts.The letter stated that since the model system was abolished, many difficulties have been encountered in teaching activities.Model sketching is an important method of training basic art skills, and it can be critically inherited. [2] Dingyi, that is, Lu Dingyi (1906-1996), a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu.At that time, he served as secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, head of the Central Propaganda Department, head of the Central Culture and Education Group, and vice premier of the State Council.Kang Sheng was then the secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and the deputy head of the Central Culture and Education Group.Enlai, that is, Zhou Enlai.Shaoqi, namely Liu Shaoqi.Xiaoping, namely Deng Xiaoping, served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council at that time.Peng Zhen, then Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

[3] Model, English word, Chinese translation "Model".