「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Daido Moriyama: Photography is an Expression without Rules

Rejecting precise composition, discarding ritualistic formality, and eschewing sharp focus, he roams the streets shooting blindly. His lens captures unfocused, blurry images, all in pursuit of the vivid flow of the world – Daido Moriyama.

In his works, the blurry, shaky and high-contrast images with coarse grains and overexposure seem to be flaws in his creation. But when we understand the core of his creation, we will realize that these characteristics are his reflection of the times and society. The confusion of post-war cultural division, the restlessness and loneliness in the hearts of urban people all burst out from the images, like a hysterical scream. It has nothing to do with the superiority or inferiority of techniques, but only about the sincerity of emotions. This stubbornness enables him to break away from the refined aesthetic training and prove with the most straightforward images that photography is essentially self-expression without rules.

In the digital age, “clarity” has become the mainstream of photography, yet it has also led to the numbness of the senses and the solidification of perspectives. However, Daido Moriyama’s “blurriness” seems like the most lucid resistance. He breaks through the deliberately constructed perfect illusions, allowing photography to capture those uncertain yet genuine moments, and enabling images to return to the most authentic perception and experience of the world.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.