Henri Cartier-Bresson

Some of His Work

Alicante 1932Black and White film

The Allée du Prado1932Black and White film

Downtown1947Black and White film

Hyères1932Black and White film

Brie1968Black and White film

Aquila1951Black and White film

Liverpool1962Black and White film

Shanghai1948Black and White film

Trieste1933Black and White film

Hyde Park in the Grey Drizzle1937Black and White film

His Life

• Born August 22 1908, in Chanteloup, France• He studied in Paris with André Lhote– Inspired Cartier-Bresson to paint

• 1929: studied literature and painting at Cambridge

• Became interested in photography after seeing the work of Eugène Atget and Man Ray

His Life

• Bought his first 35-mm Leica camera in 1933– Became his camera of choice

• Started making documentary films in1937– 1st on medical aid in Spanish Civil War

• 1937 started reportage photography• Working with film director Jean Renoir taught

him how to capture the essential moment

His Life

• Prisoner to Germans in 1940-1943• 1947 had exhibit in MoMA and founded

Magnum Photos• 1955 France honoured him with an exhibition– 400 of his photos

• 1960s he focused on film and then drawing in his later years

• Died August 3, 2004

His Goal

“Above all, I craved to seize the whole essence,in the confines of one single photograph, of

some situation that was in the process ofunrolling itself before my eyes”

- Henri Cartier-Bresson

His Goal + Interests

• He wished to be a silent unseen witness– He covered the chrome bits of camera with black

tape – Hid it under a handkerchief

• Preferred capturing people + events• Reportage style and content• Documentary films

Reputation

• He was known for capturing the “decisive moment”

• Helped establish photojournalism as an art form

Dublin1952

Children Playing Cowboys With Guns 1951

Analysis

• Focal Point– Contrast– Leading lines

Analysis

• Rule of thirds– Pillar– Boys

• Movement– Curb– Guns– Gaze

Analysis

• Playful• Youthful• Innocent

Why Henri?

• Photos aren’t posed– Captures movement and

emotion• Composition– Use of line and shape

Alberto Giacometti, rue d'Alésia, Paris1961

In Conclusion...

• Henri Cartier-Bresson was a photographer, filmmaker, drawer, and painter

• Took photos from 1940s-70s • He is best known for his work in

photojournalism and capturing the “decisive moment”

• He is skilled in creating strong compositions

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er-bresson/• http://blog.ricecracker.net/2010/02/24/cartier-bresson-kertesz-koudelka/• http://kentbeatty.com/2008/10/12/great-photographers-henri-cartier-bresson/• http://ultraorange.net/2007/12/13/henri-cartier-bresson-aquila-degli-abruzi-1952-2/• http://ysvoice.tumblr.com/post/2650510052/bresson-1948• http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/exhibitions/centreofthecreativeuniverse/guide/room1.shtm• http://so30s.tumblr.com/post/435365769/trieste-henri-cartier-bresson-1933• http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/henri-cartierbresson-from-amate

ur-snapper-to-photographic-icon-790386.html?action=Gallery&ino=4• http://www.iphotocentral.net/search/detail.php/256/Henri+Cartier-Bresson/20/11422/1• http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f81/henri-cartier-bresson-hcb-photographer-55083-2.htm• http://www.betty-ck145.de/docujan/early/fotograf.html l

• http://www.biography.com/articles/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-9240139• http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henri_cartierbresson.html• http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/bresson.htm