Confucius Temple, Tainan, Taiwan
孔子廟 台湾台南
- Birth Year
- 1883
- Death Year
- 1948
- Date
- 1940 (reprinted in 1982)
- Technique, Material, Format
- gelatin silver print
- Dimension
- 34.5 x 26.5 cm
- Donor name
- Mr. Fukuhara Nobukazu
- Category
- Photograph or Moving Image by JapanesePhotographer/Artist
- Inventory Number
- 83-PHJ-034
Fukuhara Shinzo was the third son of Fukuhara Arinobu, the founder of cosmetics giant Shiseido. He took over management of the company from his father, and while he was a talented businessman, he was also an enthusiastic photographer. Shinzo traveled to Taiwan in 1932 and 1940 while it was under Japanese occupation. The three of his Taiwan photographs in the museum’s collection were all taken during his second visit. This work was taken during a visit to Tainan Confucius Temple, one of Taiwan’s oldest Confucian temples, and it is thought to depict the pillars of Ta-Cheng Gate. With a painterly quality, it captures sunlight filtering through the trees onto the building’s decorative architecture. The harmony of light captured here is suggestive of Shinzo’s strong desire to use photography as a means of artistic expression.
(HIBINO Miyon)