ABSTRACT
Entitled as such, this study analyzes how, through the succession of different historic periods, photographers took numerous modern thoughts and artistic representations from Europe and Japan and then integrated into images the realization and experience of their own lives so that they could interpret the soul of the surreal images presented by the works created by photographers themselves.
Chronologically ranging in times from the Japanese colonial period, the initial stages after the end of World War II to the ages of Modernism and Local Literature Activity, this study discusses the nature and techniques of surrealism and focuses on the ways with which the photographers in Taiwan processed and transformed surrealism. The European modernistic thoughts and surrealism photography were introduced during Japanese colonial period. Influenced by the newly-introduced idea and style of realism, earlier photographers in Taiwan utilized surreal techniques and forms to a larger scale. However, it was not until the later stages of World War II that, in terms of topic materials, photographic works of greater depth eventually appeared. The artistic depth was obviously exemplified in the works of Deng Nan-Guang and Chang Tsai, sprawling from the terminal stages of World War II to the initial stages after the War. At the initial stages after World War II, photographers in Taiwan continued the practice of Japanese new realism ideas and deepened the Taiwanese local awareness. Besides, China-originated photographer LONG CHIN-SAN combined traditional aesthetics of Chinese ink painting with what already existed in Taiwanese artistic photography, and a unique image style of surrealism thus came into form.
Due to political oppression, modern art in Taiwan in the 60s was infiltrated by nihilism. By linking photography and modern poetry with new forms of media, experimental exhibitions were exemplified by Chang Chao-Tang and Visual-10 Group, which obscurely displayed rebellious fight against its era. In the 70s, photographers were led by locality awareness to reflect on the relations between homes as a dwelling and homes as a political entity. From the choreographic series works of Hsieh Chun-Te, familiar reality juxtaposed with absurd surreal scenario was message enough. Developing in twisted fragmentations, surrealism photography in Taiwan entails vivid description of personal lives as well as current affairs of the time.