This is the first of a (hopefully) recurring series of posts about the great photographers, that shaped the art as we know it today.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
August 22, 1908 - August 3, 2004
Henri Cartier-Bresson was born 1908 in Chanteloup-en-Brie, France and despite spending his early years as a painter he became an early adopter of the Leica Model 1 in 1932, which truly catalysed his work. The experience he had gathered as a painter and during his time in Africa as a hunter came together to form his signature style of "capturing the decisive moment". He developed an uncanny ability to see where a good photograph could develop before the action took place, allowing him to prepare the composition of the shot and wait for that "decisive moment" when everything came together just perfectly. In addition, he made a conscious effort to blend into the crowd and avoid attracting attention to himself, so he could capture the unadulterated reality of life around him. It is thanks to Cartier-Bresson, that we are given an incredible insight into the daily life of people during some of the most turbulent times in recent history.
As well as his stunning street photography Cartier-Bresson was also renowned for the portraits he took, which he likened to "putting the camera between the skin of a person and his shirt".
His most notable work includes his street photography of Paris in the 1930's, his chronicle of Mahatma Gandhi's death, witnessing the birth of the Peoples Republic of China and his celebrity portraits.
In addition to his photographic work, Cartier-Bresson founded the cooperative agency Magnum Photos together with Robert Capa, George Rodger and David Seymour in 1947 and, with the help of his wife and daughter, set up the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation to preserve his legacy in 2003. Throughout his life, he disliked publicity and preferred to keep his identity hidden as much as possible. He is also famous for sticking to his Leica Model 1 throughout his life.
In 2004 Henri Cartier-Bresson died peacefully at the age of 95 in Montjustine, France.
The following images are some of my favourites:
Disclaimer: These are not my personal images. I highly recommend you follow the sources and in particular, the links at the bottom to see where these images come from.
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Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, shortly before his assassination.
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Albert Camus 1944
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Rue Mouffetard, Paris 1954
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Coronation of George VI, Trafalgar Square 1937
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Jean-Paul Sartre 1946
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Srinagar, Kashmir 1948
It's impossible to do a man such as Henri Cartier-Bresson the justice he deserves in a short post such as this, so I encourage you to visit both the HCB-Foundation and his profile on Magnum Photos
"You just have to live and life will give you pictures."
Henri Cartier-Bresson