Maple

This graphic novel presents the vibrant oil-painted illustrations of "Maple" created by Bin Li, a well-known artist. It tells the tragic fate of two young lovers who joined opposing Red Guard factions during the Cultural Revolution. This book also helps readers to re-examine the aesthetics and characteristics of the Chinese "scar art" in the changing times.

This book was adapted from a short story by Yi Zheng, one of the representative pieces of "scar literature." The story reveals the suffering of a generation of young people during the Cultural Revolution due to naïve ideals, ignorance, and fanatical worship.

Originally published in 1979, the gouache graphic novel "Maple" is widely regarded as a representative piece of the Chinese "scar art." Nine of its 32 original gouache paintings are collected by the National Art Museum of China. However, the remaining 23 paintings disappeared mysteriously in 1986. From 2007 to 2017, Bin Li, one of the original three artists, recreated all illustrations with oil paints by himself.

This book also includes a preface by Danqing Chen, articles by Gongming Li, Yi Zheng, and Bin Li, the original gouache paintings, as well as commentaries on "Maple" in Chinese contemporary art history.

Of high artistic aesthetic value, this book is an important document for the study of politics and art in the special historical period of modern China. It invites readers to re-examine the literary and artistic struggle after the Cultural Revolution and the cultural heritage in the post-revolutionary era.

中國"文革"後開創"傷痕美術"的驚天雷鳴！

原畫稿神秘失蹤後的激情重繪與更加奪目的藝術光芒！

陳宜明、劉宇廉和李斌合作的水粉連環畫《楓》發表於1979年，至今被公認為"文革"結束後開創"傷痕美術"的最具震撼力和里程碑式的作品。《楓》講述了一對青年學生戀人在"文革"中的命運悲劇故事，揭示了"文革"時期一代青年因天真理想、無知和狂熱崇拜而付出的生命代價何其沉痛。

《楓》原創畫稿在80年代"神秘失蹤"。李斌於2007年至2017年期間以一己之力用油畫材料重新創作了《楓》，以不滅的激情與更為成熟的藝術風格重新鑄造出時代的視覺記憶與藝術文本。至此《楓》先後經歷了從文學文本到連環畫和從水粉原作到油畫重繪的雙重超越性轉變。

本圖冊包括了李斌的油畫連環畫《楓》以及原版水粉連環畫《楓》，還收入了陳丹青《序》、李公明《專論》、鄭義《有感》等文章，以及畫家本人的自述文章等資料。這是連環畫《楓》自問世以來最權威的彙編本，是研究中國現代特殊歷史時期中的政治與藝術的重要文獻。

Born in 1949 in Shanghai, China, Mr. Bin Li joined the Production and Construction Corps of Heilongjiang Province in 1968. He became a full-time painter at the Heilongjiang Art Museum in 1978. From 1982 to 1984, Bin studied oil painting under the tutelage of Professors Shangyi Jin, Jianjun Zhan, and Naizheng Zhu among others at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Bin went abroad in 1987 and was naturalized in the United States in 1997. He returned to Shanghai, China in 2000.

A well-known Chinese-American artist, Bin focuses on oil portraits and large-scale themed paintings, in which he deeply reflects on modern history and pays attention to the fate of the educated youth generation-urban youth who left cities to live and work in rural areas of China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

Bin's award-winning paintings include "Maple" (collaboration) and "The Scar" (collaboration), both of which are hailed as milestones of Chinese scar art, as well as "The Chinese Delegation signs the United Nations Charter, June 26, 1945" and "September 2: Surrender," both collected by and on permanent display at the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Bin also painted portraits for famous individuals in the United States, Japan, South Korea, mainland China, and Taiwan. His works that are collected in Taiwan include the oil painting portraits of Sun Yat-sen (on permanent collection at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall), Master Sheng Yen (on permanent collection at Dharma Drum Mountain), Morris Chang (on permanent collection at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), Soong Mei-ling, Chiang Wei-kuo, Lien Chan, Wang Yung-ching, among others. His works are widely praised at home and abroad.

李斌1949年出生於上海，1968年下鄉至黑龍江生產建設兵團，1978年調入省美術館成為專職画家。1982年至1984年於中央美術學院師從靳尚誼、詹建俊、朱乃正等老師研修油画。1987年出國發展，1997年入籍美國，2000年返回中國上海定居。數十年從事油畫肖像和大型主題繪畫創作，對近現代歷史的深刻反思和對知青命運的關注貫穿其中。

獲獎暨館藏作品：《傷痕》獲中國連環畫創作評獎一等獎（合作），《楓》獲全國美術展覽金獎（合作）。兩部作品被中國美術史譽為中國傷痕美術的里程碑。後因兩部原作丟失，又獨立完成油畫重繪。《捨得一身剮》獲全國第二屆青年美術展覽二等獎（合作）、《中國代表團簽署聯合國憲章1945.6.26》與《九二受降圖》為上海淞滬抗戰紀念館收藏，並永久展示。《換了人間》《油燈的記憶》系列組畫等眾多作品為中外美術館與私人收藏。

曾爲美國、日本、韓國、中國兩岸三地等著名人物繪制油畫肖像。在臺灣被收藏的作品：孫中山（永久收藏展示在臺北國父紀念館）、聖巖法師（永久收藏展示在法鼓山道場）、張忠謀（永久收藏展示在台積電大樓），以及宋美齡、蔣緯國、連戰、王永𪊴等肖像作品在海內外廣獲讚譽。更多著名作品：《昆侖關大捷》《革命伉儷》《假如》《夢境-正義路壹號 1981北京》《4-24晴空万里1949南京》《曼德拉》《東京審判》等。

Danqing Chen is a well-known Chinese-American artist, writer, and art critic. He is well known for his realist paintings, including the famous Tibetan series.