On the Photographic Works of Mr. Du Shao
Mr. Du Shao was born in 1910, when the Qing Dynasty was in precarious turmoil, and passed away in 1970, when China was deeply involved in the catastrophe of the Great Cultural Revolution. In his photographic life, Mr. Shao experienced the two different times and social systems of the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China.
After Mr. Du Shao graduated from the Model Elementary School affiliated with the Zhejiang Tenth Normal College at the age of 13, he started to learn about photography at the Aiwu Photo Studio in Qianqiao of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. After a three-year apprenticeship there, he transferred to the Haiwu Photo Studio opened by his brother, Mr. Shao Liang, where he served as a photographer until 1947, when he set up his own Du Shao Photo Studio. At this time, he had built up the experience, techniques and aesthetic standard needed to become a full-fledged professional photographer.
Though he had already started his photographic career in the 1920s, we can see from the preserved pictures that the majority were taken in the 1930s-60s, when photography was gradually permeating into all aspects of modern China. I think Mr. Du Shao's photographic themes focus on three main areas: commercial portrait photographs, documentary photographs and artistic photographs. While making a living on portrait photographs, he did what he could to record significant historical events with his camera. For example, he captured both the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the establishment of New China with his photography. At the same time, he maintained his interest in photography as a means of expression and embarked on an individual exploration of its artistic nature. Many photos from this exploration were centered on the humanities and landscapes. Throughout his photographic career, these three aspects – commercial portrait photographs, documentary photographs and artistic photographs – were deeply interwoven, and as a result many of his works could not be completely classified into one particular category. The interplay of these aspects created the diversity that characterizes Mr. Shao's body of photographic work.
Throughout his photographic career, these three aspects – commercial portrait photographs, documentary photographs and artistic photographs – were deeply interwoven, and as a result many of his works could not be completely classified into one particular category.
The major historical event he lived through was the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the Zhejiang province. He took on the role of documenting and providing evidence of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army and how the masses were stirred into open revolt against Japanese invaders. His series of pictures like "Wenzhou's Preparation of All Sorts Under Enemy Airplanes and Warship Threat (Situation after the Bombing)" have become valuable historical images that are not only an important part of the visual memory of Wenzhou but also the precious visual literature of China. These photos certainly belong to the history of Chinese Photography.
Mr. Du Shao's humanities photographs demonstrate his amiable judgement and the identity of the classical beauty of Wenzhou's humanities and landscapes with well-balanced composition and a tidy and rigorous frame. These unpretentious works are both expressions of his love for the beautiful sceneries of his hometown and affectionate records of the local humanities and sceneries. The most impressive quality of these pictures is that we are not seeing him indulge his personal desire to distort the subjects of the pictures or excessively process them, thus damaging the authenticity of the picture. His photographs borrow the force of nature through his proper positioning. Mr. Shao excelled at quiet observation of his subjects, letting the beautiful sceneries and landscapes speak for themselves through the lens. He was not influenced much by photographic techniques and concepts that started to be known after 1949; he persistently maintained a gentle view towards the truthfulness of nature and unfolded the distinctive character of nature without any illusion. As a photographer, Mr. Shao's consistent style shows his aesthetic judgment and spiritual concentration. Therefore, looking back a few decades later, his decorous personal character and temperament are fully manifested in his works, which respect the true character of local landscapes while also displaying his personal aesthetic tastes. His profound understanding of photography and adequate application of techniques based on his deep appreciation of the pictures' subjects all account for Mr. Shao's singular style of humanities and landscape photography.
Mr. Shao excelled at quiet observation of his subjects, letting the beautiful sceneries and landscapes speak for themselves through the lens.
We might as well quote a few words from Mr. Du Shao: "70% of the success of a picture is due to its neatness." (Quoted from Pu Wang's "Recalling the Landcape Photographer Mr. Du Shao"). Neatness is certainly a defining characteristic of his unique photography, but what I want to stress is that his pictures are characterized by neatness in a concise and rich manner. This kind of "neatness" does not make one feel as if it was lacking; instead, it interweaves both generosity and sophistication. This "neatness" is presented appropriately without the effects of the constraints of the local scenery. We believe this special photographic style can only be created by Mr. Du Shao himself.
Another important feature of his photographic career is that Mr. Du Shao based his photography mainly locally, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. The sceneries under his lens mostly originate from the Oujiang River Basin area, where he lived his whole life. Taking root in Wenzhou as a result of either his own choice or external factors, Du Shao was able to delve deep into his themes and subjects, which greatly contributed to his photographic achievements. The decision to stay in one place meant that he had to temper his judgment and discover fresh ideas from the familiar landscapes and daily routines that surrounded him, which was far more difficult a challenge than that of photographing in a different, foreign place. In a sense, Mr. Shao's photographic experiences have proved that it is possible to transform the limitations of staying in one place into an advantage. Unlike other photographers, it seems to me that he was not so much searching for the drama in daily life as he was searching for and capturing the timelessness of it. He accomplished his unique aesthetic style from the rich local characteristic, which he has made eternal through his pictures. This successful career rooted in only one place brings to mind a similar Italian photographer, Mario Giacomelli (1925-2000). He lived his entire life in his hometown of Nepali Gary, but also created many unforgettable pictures that were able to capture Italy's unique charm.
In a sense, Mr. Shao's photographic experiences have proved that it is possible to transform the limitations of staying in one place into an advantage.
Living in a rapidly changing world, Mr. Du Shao was undoubtedly influenced by modernist photography. The Chinese characters on the sign for his photography studio, for example, were written in a style influenced by the introduction of the western Art Deco. But overall, his aesthetic standards for his photos align most closely with more traditional ideals. Except for some documentary photos that were opportunistically taken, his life work focused mainly on conveying the classical poetic sentiment of routine life. The local landscapes and scenic views became lifelong subjects of his photography. However, Mr. Du Shao's photographs depicting the rural charm of his hometown are quite different from the Pictorialism trend at that time that stressed a soft, blurry look. While Pictorial photographs underwent a great deal of processing and attempted to produce a visual imagination separated from the reality, Mr. Shao's pictures were sharply focused and neat, engraving a concrete reality into the film.
The later generations of the Shaos are engaged in photographic creation as well. Mr. Jiaye Shao, the son of Du Shao, is famous for his outstanding portrait photography, and Du Shao's grandson, Mr. Dalang Shao, is widely known for his nuanced presentation of the West Lake. Their characteristics and achievements in photography are definitely influenced by Mr. Du Shao. It is Mr. Du Shao's wholehearted commitment to photography that helped his children perceive the charm and dignity of photography as a means of appreciation and expression.
Finally, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Wenzhou Cultural Federation and the Wenzhou Photographers Association, who helped sort out and publish Mr. Du Shao's photographs. Without their efforts, we would not have the chance to appreciate this album, which is a great benefit to our posterity and shows the great importance and value of photography and photographic history.
2010 in Shanghai