Mung Xuan [Greet the Spring]

Poster depicting a young Vietnamese girl, standing, holding a string of firecrackers above the head of a seated baby boy. Behind them are blossoms in a vase and in the foreground fruit and presents. Below the image is a poem, encouraging children to work hard for a prosperous and peaceful life. The poster's title and poem translate as; 'Greet the Spring!/ Your eyes are black as seeds of 'luyea'/ A smile dimples your cheeks, you look beautiful/ You wait for Spring and enjoy a wind of peace/Joyful Spring. Keep peace forever'. During the 1950s and '60s in Vietnam, poster artists often worked in a social-realist style promoted by the state, with art serving propaganda purposes. The most important and patriotic subject matter in posters was realistic portraits of peasants, workers and soldiers. Ho Chi Minh, in particular, felt that art must 'speak to the masses' and artists took on a new role, fighting in the struggle for independence and national liberation. The posters were important in an ideological campaign that sought to promote a high regard for labour, collectivism and patriotism, during a period of socialist transformation and cultural revolution in Vietnam.