WANG SHENGYI
(b. 1942) Luochuan County, Shaanxi, China

"Sending Fertilizer to the Fields" mid 1970s
woodcut on paper, 28 1/2" x 29 1/2"

From the late 1950s to the early 1980s, agricultural land was organized into People’s Communes and was not managed as traditional family farms. This print depicts a commune organization known as a “brigade” that is responsible for collecting and distributing needed fertilizer to the peasants in the fields. All such work was orchestrated by commune leaders, and all decisions were made on behalf of the entire communal enterprise.