Art

Against the towering background furnace that radiates sparks and flames, the lean but muscular bodies of two laborers glow under more dramatic lighting as they go about smelting metals in a crucible. The print thus juxtaposed and celebrated two kinds of raw energy—one human, the other industrial—as China began to modernize.

The print’s dense texture, vivid details, and layered visual effects recall Soviet wood engravings, which Huangyan greatly admired.

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