Sculpture entitled “Arduous Years”

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Sculpture entitled “Arduous Years” is one of representative Chinese modern sculptures. It describes a moving scene in the Long March: At interval of battle, a naive little soldier holds the musket, leans beside the old soldier with stamp of suffering on face, and listens to the playing of flute by the old soldier. Melodious music seems to get rid of their poverty, hunger and fatigue. Both are absorbed in the longing for happy life. This artwork is realistic with sincere emotions, which shows romantic affection and moving fascination.

This is a naive and childish face, which slightly reveals the stubbornness in eyebrows and mouth. Thin cheeks and prove that the little soldier suffers from fatigue. A pair of big eyes is moving. The little soldier fascinatedly looks at the far sky. He seems to miss his remote hometown, and embraces the hope for the future.

These are wide and coarse hands. The green veins and thick knuckles reflfl ect that the old soldier experiences many wars and sufferings in the life, who is a stubborn and determined hero. These are also smart hands. Fingers skillfully press on flfl ute holes. These hands not only roll out wonderful music, but also express the Red Army soldiers’ desire for happy life.

The Long March

From October 1934 to October 1936, the main force of the Red Army made this strategic shift. Passing by 11 provinces, the Red Army ran 25,000 li. On the way, they set off from Ruijin, Jiangxi, broke through the KMT’s heavy containment, overcame the natural obstacles of the snow-capped mountains and grasslands, crushed separatist crisis within the Communist Party of China, and ultimately arrived in northern Shaanxi with victory.

Sculpture on shelf

Sculpture on shelf refers to the sculpture which is displayed on shelf. It is pure artistic creation, which has no practical function. Unlike decorative sculpture a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l sculpture, it is not required to integrate aesthetic effect and environment.