Photography in China
Photography in China dates back to the early 19th century with the arrival of European photographers in Macao. In the 1850s, western photographers set up studios in the coastal port cities, but soon their Chinese assistants and local competition spread to all regions. By the end of the nineteenth century, all major cities had photographic studios where middle class Chinese could have portraits taken for family occasions; western and Chinese photographers documented ordinary street life, major wars, and prominent figures; and affluent Chinese adopted photography as a hobby. Even the Empress Dowager Cixi had her portrait taken repeatedly. In the twentieth century, photography in China, as in other countries around the world, was used for recreation, record keeping, newspaper and magazine journalism, political propaganda, and fine-art photography.
Contents
1842-1890, early history
Early images
- Dr Richard Woosnam
- Major George Malcoln
- Henry Collen
- Jules Itier
- Zou Boqi
Early studios
In the second half of 19th century, some Chinese photo studios were establied, such as Kung Tai (公泰照相樓)[1] and Sze Yuen Ming (上洋耀華照相) in Shanghai, and Pun Lun (繽綸) and Lai Afong (赖阿芳) in Hong Kong.
- George R. West
- Hugh Mackay
Pioneers of photography in china
- Felice Beato (British, 1832-1909)
- John Thomson (British, 1837-1921)
- Afong Lai (Chinese, 1839-1900)
The first half of the 20th century
For this period, we can find plates of the following two Chinese photographers in A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum.
- Liu Bannong (1891–1934, 劉半農) documentary
- Zhang Yin Quan (1900–1971, 張印泉) documentary
- Ho Fan (1937-, 何藩) photographer and filmmaker
- Lang Jingshan (Long Chin-san; 1892-1995). Considered China's first photojournalist.
Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976)
Photography in China was seen as a Socialist Realist propagandist tool.
1976-1993
The aftermath of the Cultural Revolution led to a documentary photography movement that rapidly grew in strength. Many photojournalists worked for the state, and therefore they do not own their copyright in their work.
1993-present
The establishment in 1993 of the East Village area of the capital Beijing, established an artistic coterie that used photography as an adjunct to experimental performance art and conceptual art. In 1994, Rong Rong co-founded the first Chinese conceptual art photography magazine, New Photo.
Many artist-photographers have had success, especially in the west. Although their work has not been as explicitly political as that by very similar conceptual artists in the west, it has used the same repertoire of 'shock'; nakedness, swear words, dead babies and elephant dung, among other items that have now become tired clichés. Some photographers also work in 'Chinese kitsch' - sometimes called "Mao goes Pop" — a collage style very similar to western pop art of the 1960s. Presently, we are reminded of the discursive autonomy contemporary Chinese art is increasingly afforded, seen in works by artists such as Xu Zhen, Xing Danwen, and Zhang Yue - artists who can not be easily summarized under the umbrella of a single artistic praxis such as "kitsch" or "pop" or "shock."
Chinese magazines for photography
- Chinese Photography (中國攝影, Peking) publishing as of 1957
- Popular Photography (大众攝影 (大衆攝影), Peking) publishing as of 1958
See also
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- Felice Beato
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Robert Capa
- China Lucky Film
- Auguste François
- Hakuyō Fuchikami
- Tadahiko Hayashi
- Joris Ivens
- Hou Bo
- Liu Xucang 刘旭沧
- Ma Liuming
- Mu Qing
- Ou Ning
- Qiu Zhijie
- Eva Sandberg
- Marc Riboud
- Pierre Rossier
- William Saunders (photographer)
- John Thomson (photographer)
- Xia Xiao Wan
- Yip Cheong Fun
- Zheng Guogu
- Zhang Ou
- Hedda Morrison
Further reading
- Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography
- Brush & Shutter: Early Photography in China, 2011, Getty Publications/Hong Kong University Press, ISBN 978-1-60606-054-4 [1]
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References
External links
- chinese-photography.net : a virtual exhibition of a private collection of Chinese contemporary photographies
- Bibliography of Materials related to Photography in China before 1949
- Shadows of the East, on the "Humanism in China" exhibition on Chinese Photography
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- "Action - Camera: Beijing Performance Photography". Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
- Bibliography of Photo-albums and Materials related to Photography in China and Tibet before 1949
- 中國摄影博物馆・中国最早的老照相馆考证及名录