Min Ch'ung-Sik (born 민충식; 1890 - 1977) was a Korean documentary photographer and a forerunner of Korean Modern photography. Born in Seoul, most of his works were produced during the era of portrait photography (1910s to 1940s). Min's unique art norm showcased the circumstances of the continuum of aesthetics of modern photography. He is best known for teaching portrait photography as a tool of recreation and expression. His strong influence led the trends of defining the developing genre of photography and its relationship with visual art culture. From the 1880s to the 1940s, Min Ch'ung-Sik experimented with artistic trends before liberation from Japan through portraits of family, landscapes, objects, and places.
Background
Min Ch'ung-Sik showed a passion for photography through the spirit of documenting the everyday interactions under a colonized Korea. His works can be categorized throughout the early stages of Korean art photography, whilst breaking away from the norm of studio or landscape photos. He mainly worked with portrait photography and drew inspiration from Korean ink paintings that date back to the Joseon dynasty, which are still deeply rooted in symbolic origins. Photography reflects Min's strong artistic emotions and reactions to modernization, while living under a colonized country of the early twentieth century.
Education
Min Ch’ung-Sik learned the techniques and the art of photography from classes offered at the Seoul YMCA and then went on to graduate and teach photography. Min was among the first graduates of the YMCA Photography department in 1910. After studying at Ryeongshin School, he went to Meiji University in Japan and majored in economics. In 1920, he worked for the Kodak office in Shanghai, and in 1927, he became a founding member of the Association of Photographers in Seoul. . Between 1910 and 1920, the various photographic works he produced proved his penchant for creating documentaries. In 1927, Min published a small thesis on the documentary quality of photography. Three years later, he opened the Taepyeongyang Photo Studio in Nakwon-dong and mainly produced panoramic photographs of Seoul.
Career
Before returning to Korea, Min Ch'ung-Sik briefly worked as a salesman in Shanghai, China. Due to majoring in economics, he was also able to be successful with the scale and promotion method of his photography studio. He experimented with photographs of Seoul and published them in Japanese art books, which had not been done before by other Korean photographers.
His work was included in the The Five Forerunners of Korean Modern Photography exhibition at the Museum of Photography in Seoul, and in a show of Korean modern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Genre of photography and works
Portrait photography
"Even if you try, it's impossible to hide anything in a photograph. Since photography is an art that captures all the things that are there in a specific time. Photography is a record of fact, so [that is where] I store all my films. For instance, let us assume that we’ve discovered scripture. It is difficult to maintain scripture eternally. Also, as time flows, it gets worn out. However, if you just take a photo of that scripture, you still have access to it ten thousand years after. From now on, if you photograph places, they become artifacts of the world."
This quote spoken by Min Ch'ung Sik, explains the captivity of photography. As an artist, Min had a passionate understanding of the importance of photography and the value it holds. He believed that most other ordinary photographs failed to acknowledge.
Continual photography consisted of motion and facial features. For example, through the model of a magician is in midst of a trick or striking a pose, Min depicted the magician comically through a silent narrative of photography. On the other hand, there are photos that depicted various places and events such as the church, busy streets, a wedding ceremony and a young child.