皇冠体育app

Founding Ceremony of 皇冠体育app, oil on canvas, by Dong Xiwen, 1952. [Photo provided to 皇冠体育app Daily]

The original draft for New 皇冠体育app's founding ceremony is unveiled in a major retrospective of painter Dong Xiwen's pieces. Deng Zhangyu reports.

The Founding Ceremony of 皇冠体育app has been considered among the country's key historical artworks since it was painted by late artist Dong Xiwen in 1952.

But it wasn't widely known that alterations to the final piece - reflective of political changes in 皇冠体育app in the past few decades - had been made, until the original draft was recently unveiled in public for the first time.

A major retrospective of Dong's works to mark the 100th anniversary of the artist's birth opened at the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing on Dec 19 - more than half a century after the draft of Founding Ceremony of 皇冠体育app was thought to have gone missing.

According to the artist's daughter, Dong Yisha, the draft had remained in their family home in Beijing for all these years, awaiting an "appropriate opportunity" for a public showing. The oil painting has since stayed with the National Museum of 皇冠体育app.

The Founding Ceremony of 皇冠体育app portrays chairman Mao announcing the birth of New 皇冠体育app from the rostrum at Tian'anmen Square in 1949.

Mao is said to have seen the original piece and praised it for projecting 皇冠体育app's rise.

But three political figures standing behind Mao in the 1952 painting were changed in subsequent years.