Don Hong-Oai: Painting Chinese Photographs

The boundaries between photography and art have oftentimes blurred to produce a sum greater than its parts, and this blog has featured many such intersections, from Karl Blossfeldt's plant portraits that come to life, to Liu Bolin's self-portraits in cityscapes, to Pablo Picasso's paintings of light. In keeping with the eastern theme of this week, today's post features an intersection that's even blurrier than before; some say these are paintings, others photographs, and some say that Don Hong-Oai has done the impossible by painting Chinese photographs and producing a true marriage between the two mediums.

These scenic artworks are the creations of Don Hong-Oai. Unfortunately, there is little information available on the artist and photographer as his works have only recently come to international attention. Don studied at a photography studio in Vietnam when he was a boy in the 1930s, learning the technicalities of the photographic medium there.

Don later fled to the USA in the late 1970s, but would return regularly to China and Vietnam to capture scenes for his artworks. It was also during these trips back to the East that he learned the painterly style of photography that is embodied in his photographs, a style that blurs photography and art into one medium.

If viewers didn't look closely enough, they might think that these were traditional Chinese paintings in the style of Shui-mo or free hand style painting, which might be compared the Western art movement of impressionism. The traditional subjects of mountains, rivers and trees are portrayed in Don's impressionistic photographs, but the artist adds modern touches to the otherwise age-old themes.

These half-photograph, half-artworks are done in monochromatic tones to add to the minimalistic feel. Finally, to create a sense of connection to the past, Don also adds Chinese calligraphy and signs his name with a red seal. The finished product feels like an hommage to the past with the technology of the future.

Don Hong-Oai, who passed away in 2004, doesn't have a website, but you can see more of his works here. There are also a few more of his Chinese photographs cum paintings here. If you would rather see how China was in the early years of photography, click over here.