Symphony in Black and White - Signed

Collection of 67 photographs by Chin-San Long with a text in Chinese prefacing the work. Long Chin-san was a pioneering photographer and one of the first Chinese photojournalists. He led a prolific career, and has been called "indisputably the most prominent figure in the history of Chinese art photography", and the "Father of Asian Photography". His experiments in composite photography of printing multiple negatives is unique not only in its exploration of the photographic medium in its earlier stages, but also in his practice of photography rooted in the tradition of Chinese landscape painting. This early and scarce publication collects 67 works comprising composite photographs, portraits, nudes and landscapes. Laid in is an 8.5 x 11" double-sided sheet which has a statement by Chin-San Long about his work, with a list of plates on the reverse side in English.

"I have been devoted to photographic art for forty years. During the last two decades, special attention has been paid to the composite method, endeavoring to present–by means of the camera–the national characteristic of traditional paintings... Composite photography consists in selecting desirable parts from different negatives and combining them into one print, leaving out all undesirable elements and including only those that help to constitute a good tableau. By this method I have been able to apply the artistic genius of the ancients and make ideal "paintings" of my photographs". – Chin-San Long from sheet laid in.

SIGNED with inscription by Chin-San Long with seal in red ink on the title page. Very scarce as is, but especially with this authors mark. Very Good condition of an already somewhat fragile publication. Dust jacket / wrapper shows light wear. Binding is intact. Will ship protected in mylar.