Seven Questions on the Aesthetics of Photography

Seven Questions on the Aesthetics of Photography is one of renowned photographer Ruan Yizhong’s best-known works. Together with Masters of Contemporary Photography and New Voices in Contemporary Photography, it is regarded as an introductory classic on photography in the Chinese-speaking world. Celebrated as “the one who introduced and imparted the art of photography to China,” Ruan spent a year in the 1980s interviewing Chen Chuanxing, Han Baode, and Huang Chunming. Presented as a collection of conversations, the book offers an in-depth reflection on the aesthetics of photography, examining its essence and how photographers learn to “see” and “feel.” The three interviewees, Chen Chuanxing, a professor at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan; Han Baode, a renowned architect and architectural scholar; and Huang Chunming, a leading Taiwanese novelist, all came from outside the world of photography and had earned distinction in their own fields. Their perspectives broaden the cultural horizons of photographic art and offer more precise coordinates for locating photography on the humanistic map. The book includes nearly 80 classic works by masters of world photography, chosen to complement the text, along with captions written by Ruan himself. It is both a vivid introduction to photography and a rare collection of photographs to treasure.