Henri Cartier-Bresson (Photofile)

"It is putting one's head, one's eye and one's heart on the same axis." That was the essential insight of Henri Cartier-Bresson into the art of photography, and his was indeed an art. I have a British photographer friend who would quip: "the best camera is the one you have with you." And long before the ubiquitous cell phone, Cartier-Bresson always seemed to have his with him. Time and time again, he seemed to capture "the decisive moment," a phrase that he coined.Cartier-Bresson lived almost a century, spanning virtually all of the 20th. A full and vital life. He is credited with "inventing" photojournalism. Capturing those spontaneous street scenes. During the Second World War he was captured by the Germans, in 1940, at St. Die, in the Vosges Mountains. He spent almost three years in forced labor, and many assumed he was dead. He emerged stronger, and with a sense of purpose; he founded the Magnum Photo Agency after the war. He also seems to have found his true love late in life, the essential "zest" in all things.A fellow Amazon reviewer recommended the first volume in this Aperture Series, on Paul Strand, which I have now reviewed. When I realized that Cartier-Bresson was the second volume in this series, it was another essential purchase. Both volumes are superlative productions by the premier publisher of books on photography. There is very little narrative. The pictures speak for themselves, sometimes ambiguously, as is the master' style. The Aperture series provides a representative sample of the photographer's work. In this volume there are approximately 40 black and white photographs.Some of his most famous photographs are missing, for example the ones of the authors Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Instead, I was surprised and delighted to see one of William Faulkner. There are also ones of the artists Henri Matisse and Paul Bonnard. By far though, most are the anonymous people from his street scenes. And these are located across Europe, as well as in China, India, Mexico and Africa. There is a haunting picture that captures the intense devotion of a young man as he kisses the hand of a cardinal in Montmartre, 1938 as well as a French working class picnic along the Marne River in the same year.The French have an expression (don't they always!) that conveys two bodies deeply intertwined: "collé serré." That also seemed to be a passion of Cartier-Bresson, whose most famous one in that regard is of the American sailor kissing the woman in Time Square, in NYC, at the immediate end of World War II. (there are some stories that have indicated some "staging" went into that photograph.) In this volume, on page 33, there is a photograph that I had never seen before, that seems to brilliantly capture the concept of "collé serré. Two bodies truly intertwined, so that it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other lets off. It was taken in Mexico, in 1934. Who knows what, if any, staging went on with that one. I do know it is much more "inspirational" than a kissed cardinal's hand.Another wonderful production from Aperture. 5-stars, plus.

If Cartier-Bresson did not invent the art of 35mm street photography, he certainly brought it to the attention of other serious photographers and the public. Trained as a painter, his eye for composition was unerring, but it was his instinct for the defining human gesture--that he termed "the decisive moment"--that made him one of the immortals of photographic history. As one of the founding members of Magnum, he changed the way we think of photographs and the way we see the world. This book is an introduction to his work. As such, it's all too short, but the economical format makes it possible to see a few decent examples of his work and perhaps to inspire further study. He was a true master of the art.

bought a used copy of this recently hoping to inspire me in my use of my Rangefinder digital camera. The book contains some excellent pieces of HCB work, although the book seems to small to be an effective photo album to me.

A nice selection of well-made prints with decent reproduction of tones etc. A great way to view photos!

Good photos, but small. Read description specs carefully.

Frankly, I have never been a die-hard fan of Henri Cartier Bresson. Yes, I do like some of his photographs, but some others seem more like snapshots. I personally think there are other photographers out there who bring out the artsy side of documentary photography much better, e.g., Steve McCurry and Sebastiao Salgado. This book is good to thumb through and a keeper for those interested in the works of the great photographers. The size of the photographs are relatively small compared to a lot of coffee table books out there.

It's a must have if you're into classic street photography and specially a fan of HCB. All his top shots are here. And it's cheap, just buy, you won't regret it.

ORDER IT, YOU PATHETIC SWINE ! ( COMMENT FROM HUNTER THOMPSON )