Chen Man Image Visual Cultural Studies

Chen Man is one of the top Chinese commercial photographers. Her creationpattern and style are of unique aesthetic value and significance for the post-modernrepresentation with multiple integrations. With Chen Man’s masterpieces of eachstage in the process of style evolution as the study object, this thesis tries to dissectand discuss in depth the relation between Chen Man and Chinese photography, imagestyle evolution, visual analysis of her works and the significance of Chen man image;and to expound the trend of Chinese commercial photography from modernism topost-modernism from the development history of Chen Man as a representative.The formation of Chen Man image is related with her juvenile aesthetic education,her study in Central Academy of Fine Arts and its affiliated middle school, and themagazine working environment. It is a representative of the style of art in thedevelopment of Chinese photography. The evolution of Chen Man image can bedivided into three stages. The first stage is the process developing from the pursuit offormal beauty to the beauty of theme, during which the digital tools bring aboutpost-modern characteristics to it. In the second stage, the fashion of one-inch-photomeans the turning back to tradition, with visual designing factors beginning todecrease, and landmarks and Old Beijing elements beginning to join them. In the thirdstage, Chen Man image uses “transplanting” of the features of picture elements suchas “horn” and “puppet” to embody the randomicity of symbols of the signifiers andsignified. It strengthens the feeling of meaningfulness and modality, and reforges thedomestic and foreign symbols.Chen Man image successfully transplants the post-modernism of current Chinesephotography art into the development of commercial image; roots the symbols intocommerce; forms new symbols by combining the symbolic representation of thingsthemselves and that brought by formalism in artistic expression; and brings about more visual appeal and impact to the images. That image style, on the basis ofpost-modern theory, is the trend of modern commercial photography.