The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

The Fight in Front of the Furnace

1959

Wang Qi

(Chinese, 1918–2016)
China
Woodcut print; ink, color, and oil on paper
27.7 x 20 cm (10 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
Gift of Thomas and Patricia Ebrey 2025.571
© Wang Qi
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Under Mao, women’s equality was improved, and they were encouraged to join the workforce to help construct the new socialist state.

Description

Under Chairman Mao, printmakers were encouraged to continue to make prints in support of the country’s modernization efforts. Themes included women joining the workforce as soldiers, farmers, and steel workers to help construct the new socialist state, as well as joining men in the fields. New motifs such as tractors, trains, electrical equipment, and smoking chimneys were introduced into landscape scenery to illustrate a prospering China.
  • 1980s or 1990s–2025
    Tom and Patricia Ebrey, Seattle, WA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=The Fight in Front of the Furnace|url=false|author=Wang Qi|year=1959|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.571