Buy BookExhibition of the 'Song Bo Paintings'

 

This story begins at a time when the Cold War was a serious concern to all Americans, and for many, it was daily in their thoughts and conversations.  It begins at a period of time that included events of lasting influence like the Korean War which had ended only a few months earlier, McCarthyism at its most aggressive period, the rising influence of Russian Communism in Europe and Asia, the death of Stalin the same year, and the popular revolt in East Germany that was brutally put down by communist forces.  It was the year when France suffered a humiliating defeat at Dinh Binh Phu by the communist troops led by Ho Chi Minh and French domination in Indochina came to an abrupt end.

 

It was also a time when Norman Rockwell paintings depicting life in America appeared regularly on the cover of prominent magazines, and posters of Uncle Sam greeted you in front of every post office. It was near the end of a two hundred year old practice in this country where art was considered one of the primary means of delivering political ideas, feelings, and messages to the public. The relentless concern of Americans over the growing threat of communism was matched only by their irrepressible idealism. They loved all-American athletes, politicians who were war heroes, and cartoon characters who had special powers and abilities to solve all of the world’s problems.

 

It was a time when new and creative programs involving music, dance, sculpture, paintings and literature were being sponsored by the U. S. Department of State to be used as weapons in the growing Cold War.  The volatile climate of thought that was emerging everywhere in the world during this period would dominate the political scene for the remainder of the century.

 

The following story begins at this period in history and tells the events surrounding the creation of the work known as “The Song Bo Paintings.”