 Hu
Boxiang (1896 ~ 1989) was a painter and photographer. He went to
Shanghai with his father, Hu Tan, also a painter, in 1913 and began his
career. He became a good friend of Wu Changshuo, a master painter, and
despite the differences in age, Hu benefited greatly from the friendship
both in terms of painting and spiritual enlightenment. He became skilled
at painting Chinese traditional portraiture, landscape and animals.
Western lithography, watercolor and photography were also things that he
mastered beautifully. He founded and became director of the Oriental
Fine Arts Society early in his career.
In 1928, together with Lang Jingshan, Hu founded the China Photography Society and the China Photography Magazine. He wrote the introduction to the first issue and became the magazine's manager. Hu organized and held the first photography exhibition in China giving impetus to photography throughout the country. His works won international prizes. However, when the Japanese invaded Shanghai and pressured him for paintings he refused and in a fit of indignation embarked on a business career which saw him become the president of the Shanghai Association of Factories Producing Chinese Goods. After 1949, he was vice president of the Shanghai Chemical Products for Daily Use Company and deputy manager of the Shanghai Applied Arts Company. He was also artist-in residence at the Academy of Chinese Painting.
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