Welcome to Pho·tog Friday!
Known as the "Father of Modern Photojournalism", the "Godfather of Street Photography" and for his method of shooting under the "Decisive Moment", Henri Cartier-Bresson was born in France in 1908. He changed the way many
photographers approached and shot their subjects; an influence which can
still be seen in works by contemporary photojournalists. Before he was dubbed with such prestigious titles and created a new wave of photojournalists, it's interesting to learn about Cartier-Bresson's background in art and his early life as a photographer. With a vast portfolio and having accomplished so much within his lifespan, this particular "Pho·tog Friday" post will serve as "Part 1" of a series of posts on Cartier-Bresson.
At the age of twenty, Cartier-Bresson entered the Lhote Academy which was run by the French Cubist painter and sculptor, André Lhote, who encouraged his students to be influenced not only by the Classical Painters but also by the Modernist Movement of the day. Cartier-Bresson typically referred to Lhote as his "photography teacher without a camera"; a professor who taught him about form and composition using brushes and paint.
In the 1920s, the Surrealist Movement was becoming popular amongst many different types of artists. Prior to this time, photographers would capture images for documentation purposes or take portraits with soft lighting. The Surrealist Movement encouraged photographers to forget the traditional method of shooting images and to take photograph their subjects "as is", to show "the truth". Cartier-Bresson made friends with many of the Surrealist artists of the day and tried to incorporate the theory behind this movement within his paintings. He often felt frustrated that he could not convey the content that he wanted within his paintings and many of these works were consequently destroyed.
It was not until 1931 that Cartier-Bresson started to take photography seriously when he was inspired by a photograph taken by Martin Munkacsi titled Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika. "I suddenly understood that a photograph could fix eternity in an instant" (web). While living in Marseilles, France, Cartier-Bresson purchased his first Leica with a 50mm lens, traveled through his home country, Brussels, Italy, Spain and Mexico and took photographs:
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, France, Marseille, The Allée du Prado, 1932. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, France, The Var department. Hyères. 1932. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, France, Marseille.1932. |
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Cartier-Bresson, Henri, France, Paris. Place de l'Europe, Gare Saint Lazare, 1932.
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Belgium. Brussels, 1932. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Italy, Tuscany, Sienna, 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Italy, Friouli, Trieste, 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Spain, Andalucia. Seville. 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Spain, Madrid. 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Spain, Valencia Province, Alicante, 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Spain, Valencia, 1933. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Mexico, Mexico City. Prostituées. Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, 1934. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, Mexico, Mexico City, 1934. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, England. London. Hyde Park in the Grey Drizzle, 1937. |
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| Cartier-Bresson, Henri, England, London, Coronation of King George VI, 12 May 1937. |
In 1935, Cartier-Bresson was invited to show his work at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. His work was displayed along side photojournalist, Walker Evans and fine art photographer, Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Cartier-Bresson was offered a freelance gig with the fashion magazine, Harper's Bazaar, although did not know much about giving directions to models - thus - it did not last very long. During his time in New York, he met documentary photographer, Paul Strand, and teamed up with him to work on a documentary film titled The Plow that Broke the Plains. His first photojournalist image to be published is the last image you see within this post, titled England, London, Coronation of King George VI from 1937. This image was published in a French publication titled Regards.
He continued his work as a photojournalist from 1937 to 1939 and worked for a French Communist publication titled Ce Soir. World War II broke out in France in 1939 and Cartier-Bresson joined the French Army... and on that note...stay tuned for Part II of this Pho·tog Friday series!
01. "Henri Cartier-Bresson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 04 Sept. 2013.
02. "Henri Cartier-Bresson." Magnum Photos. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2013.
