Author:Quo Ying-Sheng(1950-)

Category：Photograph

Year：1973

Size:Length:50.8 x Width:60.9 (cm)

Introduction：An indoor black-and-white photograph illuminated by a single light source captures the moment when a young woman in a bedroom is removing her final piece of clothing. Positioned slightly left of center, she forms the focal point of the composition. The right side of the frame is brighter, while the left side recedes into shadow. On the wooden wall paneling to the right hang Quo Ying-Sheng’s well-known work Iron, shown in the exhibition “Life,” and a portrait of Quo painted by Shiy De-Jinn. On the left side of the woman, faintly visible on the wall, is Chang Chao-Tang’s 1962 self-portrait of headless man, together with a bookshelf.

An artist’s room often reflects his situation, allowing us to glimpse the context behind a work. Judging from the artworks on the wall, this photograph was taken during a period when Quo had begun to gain recognition for his photographic practice and had become acquainted with other creators in Group Visual-10. His interactions with these professionals may not have shaped his style directly, but they deepened his critical engagement with the creative process, prompting more rigorous thought about artistic topics. Before studying in France, this period was a formative experience in Quo’s creative development.

This photograph was taken in 1973. Around 1977, even the image of Li Shih-Chiao’s Three Beauties reproduced on a matchbox was reported for “offending public decency,” revealing the conservative moral climate of the time. Against such a backdrop, Quo’s private and intimate photographic style was remarkably avant-garde and provocative.

—CHEN Wei-Chien, Metadata of the Collection of the National Center of Photography and Images, 2019.

Media and Techniques：Inkjet print

Accession number:NCP2016-013-0004