Painting and Photography: From the “Photographic Eye” to “Freezing Lands”

The debate over “whether photography has killed painting” has never ceased. Yet the photographic artist Jeff Wall—well versed in the history of painting—discerned the kinship between the two: photography has, in fact, taken over the portion of painting’s mission that existed before photography was invented.

For Liu Xiaodong, the kinship relationship of media becomes even more tangible. He introduced the camera into his painting practice early on, leveraging the instantaneity of photographs to reconstruct compositions. This intervention of the “photographic eye” imbues his realist paintings with a pulsating vitality that resonates with reality. Interestingly, “the documentary quality” in Liu Xiaodong’s paintings has, in turn, inspired the photographic world. Curator Alexander Munroe once compared Liu Xiaodong with the British photographer Paul Graham, noting both artists employ a critical lens to excavate the existential conditions of society’s marginalised.

In this lecture, photographer Chen Ronghui will bring his work “Freezing Lands” and discuss Liu Xiaodong from his perspective. This will be more than a technical discussion, but a profound conversation about how painting and photography jointly capture the “enchanting reality”.

In this lecture, we will explore:

Why do Liu Xiaodong’s paintings appear as if “photographed”? From brushstrokes and compositions to a sense of time—how does a photographer identify the “photographic eye” and “shutter logic” hidden within paintings?

Why does the reality in “Freezing Lands” hold more enduring appeal than news imagery? How can we capture those non-dramatic yet truly moving real moments in overlooked urban peripheries?

When brush meets lens, how does the way of seeing transform? It is a cross-media experiment in perception: How can we relearn the way to “observe the world” through the lens of painting and photography?