The Shadow of Your Smile: Xu Yong’s Portraits and the History of Portraiture East and West

Abstract

This article discusses Xu Yong‘s experimentation with the camera both as a recorder of events and as a medium for personal expression. Early works document modern life in China like the destruction of old Beijing or the events in Tiananmen Square. But trained as an engineer, Xu Yong explored the function of the camera and re-engineered the lens reducing its performance to only capturing light. Then he made portraits of his friends and others. These abstracted images reveal something essential about the subjects, especially when contrasted with traditional portraiture in China and the West, as he is heir to both traditions.