My Photography works looks like frescos, portrait rubbings on bricks. It is also a kind of image that highlights fractions. It is not real visual duplication of shadows and lights, but a kind of more realistic images that human being can touch. The highlighted fractions of the images become harsher because of lighting effect. Its details become clearer because of little light casting on, the rear part and the fraction in the gaps become transparency, even the paper base shows out. The images are not reflection of the real world as well as the duplication of shadows and lights; it is a new style image. Even it only exist in the rubbings and prints before, it offers a new form for image and photography. The reversed images enhance the birth of another image world. From the very beginning, I only did experiments with graphic objects, after a while, I expanded to other themes with space characteristics, in fact, every object can produce image like that.

　　All the creation of art works must inspired by something, or because of the birth of inspiration, my photography works is also the same. Once when I was enlarging the pictures taken in Yungang Buddha Grotto in the darkroom, I was inspired by the details of the images under the 24 feet enlarger. I could not image how beautiful the pictures art will be when they were developed, but after I processed the fixing procedure, there were not beautiful details on the pictures; the white background of the original negative images was taken place by the positive black images. The details got obscure in the dark shadows.

　　How could this kind of beautiful images show to us? The images have lingered in my mind for a long time. Could negative images become real images? Are the negative images also beautiful as the real images? With this question in my mind, I began my experiments. I thought over various laws and began the experiment with techniques of negative electrical scan, digital image manipulation, Giclee printing. At first, I selected the right negatives for reversed image techniques, then I used electric scan to get digital file and retouched the digital file with software to reverse the images. After that I used burn tool to make the final retouch until I made the excellent pictures what I wanted in my mind. The whole process is same as painting. There are three kinds of images during the whole process:

　　1, Part of the positive image, large parts of negative image: visional state with little real image effect.

　　2, whole negative image: The light of the Buddha that is the best explanation the state of Buddhism.

　　3, negative image inversed from up side down, I want to get the empty state of the Chinese landscape painting, which takes white as black.

　　At the beginning of the whole image process, the image I made has the same beautiful effect as the brick image in ancient Han dynasty; the composition of white and black is as beautiful as the brick rubbings. While the white part of the background of the statue of Buddha that is the shadows in the real image shows the idea effect of Buddha, so I continued using this techniques to produce my other works. There are inner light sources in my image, this kind of effect is same as painting languages, that is light emitting from the painting its self. In fact, lots of painting masters had used this technique to finish their works, for example, the masterpiece “where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” of Gauguin.

　　Light plays an important roll in tradition landscape painting “Early Spring”, but this light is different from the light of the sun. It is the light of thinking and imagination. we can call it the inner light of objects. In the heart of ancient Chinese, people can understand that objects can emit light. Gombrich mentioned in his book “art and illusion”: “ It is not the exhaustion of images of objects, and also the story telling, but something close to poetic style that Chinese ancient art tradition cares about. He just wanted to record and recall a sense of mind, which rooted from the conception of the essence of universe”. This idea shows out the characteristic of the idea of universe in Chinese, that is objects and mankind unite together; the outside universe combines together with personal feeling. When Chinese think of the universe, they does not take it as the separate objects but something with strong personal feeling.

　　The inherit of the inner aesthetic of the tactile photography, besides the trace of the Chinese traditional concept of the combination of objects and mankind, I think it also because of the Chinese traditional landscape painting, that is the idea of taking white as black. Another example of this concept is the composite photography of Mr. Lang Jinshan. He used ordinary images to make composite photography by the skill of the composition of Chinese landscape painting, but I use the authentic image and revered the images to finish my works, which based on the photography languages. It is the inherit and recreation of photography not just making painting with cameras, or the genre of Jerry Uelsmann who use composite skills to make his works. The essence of photography creation comes from Chinese traditional aesthetics. It is the skills of moving mountains and rivers, good for living and taking white as black.

　　I have learned Chinese painting and understood the concept of “moving of mountains” and “good for living” thoroughly from middle school. A little path in the hill always attracts readers; every cloud has its silver line. I always hope to enjoy the happiness when the painting rolls stretches out, and then taste the harvest. Pictures can show out feeling. I wish my works can convey my ideas and thinking, as well as can communicate with audience. I also hope audience has similar feeling with me.

　　We all know that photography comes into birth from the west. Its aesthetic attitude is also western style. It is also inherit of the solid visual effect of western painting. From research of perspective, lights and shadows to camera Obscura, the invention of photography, the way of image capturing has changed a lot, but the standard for critique is still work and passes on generations, even through lots of photographers tried to get rid of the effect of painting, but they still can not change the reality of photography and its tonality, even people care about the documentation characteristic of photography, but there are still some characteristics of caring about the space. It is like Chinese writers show out the romantic feeling. There are many amateur photographers groups show this characteristic. Chinese photography has shifted to the time of photography as a media for artist. Wang Qingsong’s work “ Old Li at Dinner” uses Chinese diverse perspective in Chinese painting, I think only Chinese can finish such pictures. Can Chinese pure photography comes into forth?

　　Photography is an important way of creating image, but it is not the only way. If you isolate photography with image, or confine with the old tradition of photography, for modern photography, it look like that you close your door so you can not acquire achievements, and the possibility of various styles of photography was stopped. When will the life power from the root can grow up from that big tree, I think experiment is the most important things.

　　I have finished many experiments according my interests for many years. Every time when I take pictures, I follow my feeling, but after I finished pictures, I still feel that I did not do the best, as well as when I finish retouch photographs. When I see the changing of tonality, the feeling of getting the best effect arose from my heart. Many years of art experience impels me trying to finish my understanding of art.

　　But there is a sentence, which makes me confused, that is “ People all think that it is impossible to carry water in a well with sieve, but they do not know that it is also stupid to draw a painting with a camera”. For the relationship between photography and painting, Edward Weston has a clear understanding. He thinks that using the standard of painting to judge photography or using photographic skills to achieve painting effect is a stupid behavior. He has clarified two basic characteristics of photography, which different from art in his article “Treat photography with photographic view”: one is capturing movement; the other is the characteristic of image that is the accuracy, especially the ability of capturing details. Photography can record continuous changing from black to white. “ This two characteristics became the features of photography, they are the result of mechanical work and can not achieve the effect with handcraft.” So Weston pointed out: in fact, pictorial photography is a misunderstanding of the essence of photography, its true danger lies to that it makes a hypercritical standard as well as causes the purpose of art became not producing photography but producing photographic painting. This kind of concept brings forth the contrary with the real characteristics of photography. “ It is the painter’s tradition that affect the understanding of photography creation. People who should care about creation and discover have ignored them. With the aim of pursing effect of painting, their photography get far away from the value of photography.”

　　Whether it is right or wrong, new or old, it is my photography works, a photography based on sense of touch. It is my achievements these years, I wish I can acquire some advice from photographer friends and predecessors.

　　I also appreciate Mr. Xie Hailong for his encouragement and approbation. It is his help that makes me have the confidence to finish my works. I also would like to give thanks to the friends and teachers who give me advice and help me publishing his book.

By Author

XizhimGate Beijing

Oct. 2010