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HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON PHOTOGRAPHE
This book offers an outstanding retrospective collection of the master of 20th-century photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Reproduced in exquisite black and white, the images in this book range from Henri Cartier-Bresson's earliest work in France, Spain, and Mexico through his postwar travels in Asia, the US, and Russia, and even include landscapes from the 1970s, when he retired his camera to pursue drawing. While his instinct for capturing what he called the decisive moment was unparalleled, as a photojournalist Cartier-Bresson was uniquely concerned with the human impact of historic events. In his photographs of the liberation of France from the Nazis, the death of Ghandi, and the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Cartier-Bresson focused on the reactions of the crowds rather than the subjects of the events. And while his portraits of Sartre, Giacometti, Faulkner, Capote, and other artists are iconic, he gave equal attention to those forgotten by a dead resistance fighter lying on the bank of the Rhine, children playing alongside the Berlin Wall, and a eunuch in Peking's Imperial Court. Divided into six thematic sections, the book presents the photographs in spare double-page spreads. In a handwritten note included at the end of the book, Cartier-Bresson writes, "In order to give meaning to the world, one must feel involved in what one singles out through the viewfinder." His work shows how he has been able to capture the decisive moment with such extreme humility and profound humanity.
Reproduced in exquisite black and white, the images in this book range from Henri Cartier-Bresson's earliest work in France, Spain, and Mexico through his postwar travels in Asia, the US, and Russia, and even include landscapes from the 1970s, when he retired his camera to pursue drawing. While his instinct for capturing what he called the decisive moment was unparalleled, as a photojournalist Cartier-Bresson was uniquely concerned with the human impact of historic events. In his photographs of the liberation of France from the Nazis, the death of Ghandi, and the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Cartier-Bresson focused on the reactions of the crowds rather than the subjects of the events. And while his portraits of Sartre, Giacometti, Faulkner, Capote, and other artists are iconic, he gave equal attention to those forgotten by a dead resistance fighter lying on the bank of the Rhine, children playing alongside the Berlin Wall, and a eunuch in Peking's Imperial Court. Divided into six thematic sections, the book presents the photographs in spare double-page spreads. In a handwritten note included at the end of the book, Cartier-Bresson writes, "In order to give meaning to the world, one must feel involved in what one singles out through the viewfinder." His work shows how he has been able to capture the decisive moment with such extreme humility and profound humanity.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 9, 2019
Great book. The photography is just wow!
November 10, 2014
I've always liked the photos of Cartier-Bresson and have looked at them many times before. He had an excellent eye for composition and shot his pictures in black and white which is becoming a nearly neglected art form in this digital age. The only captions to most of these images is the location and date of the photograph. The viewer is given the gift of interpreting the image, which I think, increases it's artistic value. Like the work of every artist and photographer, some of these images are stronger than others. But the strong ones will be with us forever.
November 2, 2012
THE ORIGINAL photojournalist, a master of composition, and the biggest influence on how I view photography and the world in general. If you want to see gorgeous compositions made at the speed of life with a 50mm lens, this is all the inspiration you will ever need. Every time I look at his work I am humbled and I learn something.
September 18, 2023
This is a catalog from the ICP's 1979 super-show of Cartier-Bresson.
If you like HCB, this is a great book, I think it's a super-set of all the photos from his famous Images la Sauvette" -- at a price far far lower than the famous one (often over $1000 these days, while my copy of this book set me back $5)
If you like HCB, this is a great book, I think it's a super-set of all the photos from his famous Images la Sauvette" -- at a price far far lower than the famous one (often over $1000 these days, while my copy of this book set me back $5)
August 27, 2023
"To take a photograph is to recognize a fact in a split second, and to organize with rigor visually perceived forms which express and signify it. It means lining up brain, eye, and heart for the purpose of taking aim at the target."
- Henri Cartier-Bresson, page 9
- Henri Cartier-Bresson, page 9
November 23, 2017
4 stelline solo perché mi sarebbe piaciuto un commento o un saggio introduttivo un po' più approfondito.
November 9, 2019
Brilliant
April 28, 2024
Great photography. Books could have used some additional structure to align with his journey.
April 24, 2025
Exploring the classics in photography; feast your eyes on these works of art; not all masterpieces but plenty to go around to get you inspired. Many of these collections are long out of print; check out the Internet Archive (https://archive.org); many of the timeless classics are made freely available or after signing up, free to (digitally) borrow.
January 4, 2011
Wonderful coffee table book celebrating some of the best and most iconic photographs of Cartier-Bresson. With these types of books often the issue is that wide prints can be spread across two pages, ruining the effect, or tall prints are too compact. This large, square book tackles both of those issues and as a result makes a great presentation of the work.
February 3, 2016
Need to own this book. While looking at some initial his pictures it feels he might have got lucky with this shot, but then you keep flipping pages after pages and then you know that this person is a genius observer.
July 10, 2014
My favourite Photographer.
November 21, 2015
Good prints of the great photo artist. This book is heavy, so heavy is pleasure from seeing images.
August 4, 2011
The best photographer ever! Ever and ever...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews