The Chinese Photobook Collection: Luo Bonian Platinum Print Portfolio

Column:Three Shadows Publish Time:2017-11-03

The Chinese Photobook Collection:
Luo Bonian
Platinum Print Portfolio




Luo Bonian lived from 1911 to 2002. Born into a family of county magistrates, upon graduating from school he became a clerk at the Bank of China. In the same period, he began taking photographs. In 1934, he published the work “Drawing Water from a Well,”an early example of nude photography in China. His works evoke both Eastern and Western techniques and are permeated by traditional Chinese aesthetics. He captured scenic landscapes, people, animals, and still objects through his lens, and he made experimental studies influenced by the New Art Movement. He is the forefather of montage photography in contemporary China. His representative work includes “Drawing Water from a Well,” The Spring Which Began to Find Vent,”and “Heavy Loads and Distant Journeys.”