A splash of gold across a stark, black background. This is one of the enduring photographs taken by Taiwan’s first contemporary photographer -- Ko Si-chi -- who passed away last Friday at the age of 90.
The photograph is called “Golden Sea”. Ko captured the image during a visit to the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian in 1988. It features silhouettes of boats and fisherman against an ocean dazzled by the sun.
About the piece, Ko said: "'Golden Sea' is one of the most important works in my career as a photographer. It was about 4:30 in the morning and I was standing on a mountain overlooking a pitch-black sea. When the sun rose in the East, it looked as though the sea was on fire! It looked like gold and copper was spread across the sea. In that moment, my finger pressed down on the shutter, and a second later that awe-inspiring scene had disappeared."
Ko’s life was as dramatic as his photographs. He was born in 1929 in Tainan, southern Taiwan, during the Japanese colonial rule. His family home was destroyed by an American bombing raid during WWII.
Ko first picked up a camera at the age of 19. When he was 30, he traveled to Japan to study at the Tokyo Photo School (now known as the Tokyo College of Photography). Ko lived for many years in New York, working as a commercial photographer, before returning to Taiwan in his 70s.
Ko is known for his striking scenic shots, and photographs of dancers. In his later years, he attempted to capture Taiwanese scenery from a different perspective, after a career that was largely centered overseas.
Ko received the National Award for Arts in 2006. After his passing, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture released a statement calling him one of the most influential photographers in the country.
If you’d like to see Ko’s photographs and learn about his life, visit his web site: http://www.kosichi.com/