Long Chinsan: Founder of Pictorealism and China's First Nude Photographer

Long Chin-San is one of the most unusual photographers in the history of this art form. He is considered the founder of Chinese photojournalism and the first author of erotic photographs in the country. This master is often called the "father of Asian photography" and this is no exaggeration. Long Chin-San lived 102 years, 80 of which he spent with a camera in his hands, constantly experimenting and creating something new. In 1980, the American Photographic Society included him in the list of 10 outstanding photographers in the world. (Caution! Nude nature).

Long Chinsan was born in 1892 in Huai'an County, Jiangsu Province. His career as a photojournalist began in 1911, when he was hired as a reporter for the Shen Bao newspaper at the age of 19. He quickly developed his own distinctive, recognizable style, based on classical Chinese painting. His laconic, misty landscapes began to be published in major Chinese magazines.

The master believed that photography must be manipulated. Only in this case, in his opinion, the works become not just a documentary print, but an object of art. Long Chinsan was a pioneer in many areas. For example, he took the first erotic photo in Chinese history, “Meditation,” which was published in 1928.

The photographer was censured in Chinese society, where strict morals reigned. The model who posed for the photo was beaten by her father. But this did not stop Long Chinsan and he continued to take nude portraits of women, although he approached the choice of models more delicately. In 1930, he again became the first, publishing a book of erotic photographs in his country, "Nude Photographs".

But Chinsan is known not only for his female portraits. He is much more famous for his landscape shots. The photographer would edit them manually, retouching and adding new details. He called his style "pictorialism" and, as you might guess, he was the first again. Chinsan said:

Therefore, he boldly combined painting and photography, creating unique masterpieces. Long Chinsan trained a huge number of talented photographers, who today form the core of the Chinese school of landscape photography. His most famous student is Don Hong-Oai, whose works are sometimes indistinguishable from the photographs of his mentor.

Long Chinsan died at the age of 103 in 1995 in Taipei. He was married four times and had 15 children. His daughter Long Yuwen donated 134 of the best photographs of the photographer to the National Art Museum of China. Now these photographs are considered part of the national heritage of the country and have no price.

Long Chinsan has forever written his name into the history of photography, boldly experimenting and pushing the boundaries of art. His works still arouse admiration and debate: was he a provocateur or an innovator? Do you think photographers should interfere with reality, creating artificial images, or should photography remain a purely documentary reflection of the world? Share your opinion in the comments!