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Framed Photograph by Don Hong-Oai

Creator: Hong-Oai Don
Offered by: Tishu

Description
A framed photograph by Chinese American photographer Don Hong-Oai (1929-2004). Entitled in Chinese "Playing with Hoops, Vietnam". The work is a sepia-toned gelatin-silver print. It is stamped with three red artist seals and black ink Chinese inscription, mounted and framed under plexiglass. Sight is 10.5"h x 13.5"w. It is one of the matching pair from an American collection.
Don Hong-Oai was born in Canton, China but raised and educated in Saigon, Vietnam. At age 13 he began an apprenticeship at a Chinese photo and portrait shop. In 1979 he immigrated to the United States and settled in the Chinatown of San Francisco.
Don began making a living by selling his landscape photographs in front of Macy’s and began to receive recognition for his craftsmanship. His style was heavily influenced by the legendary photographer Long Chin-San and his technique of layering negatives. By taking three negatives, foreground, middle ground, and far ground, and selecting a subject from each negative. The photographs of Don Hong-Oai are made in a unique style, which can be considered Asian pictorialism. This method of adapting a Western art for Eastern purposes probably originated in the 1940s in Hong Kong. One of its best-known practitioners was the great master Long Chin-San (who died in the 1990s at the age of 104) with whom Don Hong-Oai studied. With the delicate beauty and traditional motifs of Chinese painting (birds, boats, mountains, etc.) in mind, photographers of this school used more than one negative to create a beautiful picture, often using visual allegories. Realism was not a goal. Don Hong-Oai was one of the last photographers to work in this manner. He is also arguably the best. He has won hundreds of awards given by photography societies throughout Asia and by international juries of Kodak and Nikon.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	United States
Period:	1980-1999
Materials:	paper and wood frmae
Condition:	Good. Appears fine, not examined out of the frame
Creation Date:	1980s
Styles / Movements:	Modernism, Asian Art
Incollect Reference #:	557113

Dimensions

W.	20 in;	H.	17.2 in;	D.	1 in;
W.	50.8 cm;	H.	43.69 cm;	D.	2.54 cm;

Message from Seller:

Tishu, based in Atlanta, GA, offers a diverse collection ranging from Neolithic art to 20th-century collectibles, with a focus on Mid-century design, Japanese and Korean art, Asian textiles, and Contemporary Aboriginal art. Driven by a passion for timeless beauty, the gallery is open by appointment only and offers works that span 5,000 years of history. Reach them at 305-400-0561 or tishu@tishugallery.com.