The pioneer of photojournalism was the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. His black and white masterpieces are considered real works of art, he was the founder of the "street" style of photo art. This wonderful master of his craft has been awarded many grants and prizes. Cartier-Bresson, whose biography is simply captivating, was able to capture such celebrities in his pictures: Jean Genet, Coco Chanel, Marilyn Monroe, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso and others.
Cartier-Bresson was born in France on August 22, 1908 in the little-known town of Chantle, near Paris, where the Marne and Seine rivers merge. It was named after his paternal grandfather. His father's family had their own cotton thread business. Great-grandfather and uncle Cartier-Bresson were talented artists.
The beginning of the way
When Henry was still very young, he was presented with a good camera at that time (Brownie-box). With the help of it, the future genius captured his friends, he could record all the memorable moments of his youth. Cartier-Bresson’s worldview was also influenced by Uncle Louis (a talented artist). Henry often spent spare time in his workshop. As a teenager, he became interested in surrealism.
Fine arts training
After graduating from the lyceum, in 1925, Bresson seriously decides to engage in fine art and goes to study with cubist artist Andre Lot. It was these lessons that played a big role in the development of Henry as a photographer. Lot was a very strict teacher and did not provide opportunities for creative freedom, so Cartier-Bresson decided to go to military service.
Traveling in search of romantic pictures
Influenced by the literature of the time, in 1930, Henry boarded a ship and set off for Africa. But the journey ended in failure - the young Bresson fell ill with a fever and even composed a suicide note. But his relatives persuaded him to return to France, where he was able to undergo rehabilitation and recover. At this time, Henry settled in Marseille. Very often, he wandered the streets of this city with a camera in his hands and looked for decent scenes for his outstanding shots. When Bresson finally recovered, he was able to visit many European countries and also paid a visit to Mexico. His best companion was his favorite camera.
Photographer's activities in the USA
In 1934, Cartier-Bresson met a Polish photographer, an intellectual under the pseudonym David Seymour, and a Hungarian photographer Robert Kappa. These masters found much in common regarding the art of photography. In 1935, Bresson was invited to come to the United States, where the first exhibitions of his works were organized (in New York). After that, the master was offered to photograph models for fashion magazines, but Bresson did not like it very much.
Partnership with the cinema
In 1936, the photographer Cartier-Bresson returned to France and began to collaborate with the famous French director Jean Renoir. In one of Renoir’s films, Bresson tried himself as an actor. He also helped the director to shoot other films relevant to those times.
First steps in photojournalism
The first works of Cartier-Bresson as a photojournalist were published in 1937, when he recorded on the camera for the French weekly the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The photographer was masterfully able to capture the subjects who prepared the city for the celebration. After that, the name Cartier-Bresson sounded in full force.
Marriage
In 1937, Bresson married the dancer Ratna Mohini. They settled in Paris, had a large studio, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Henry began working as a photographer for a French communist newspaper, along with his friends reporters. He did not join the ranks of the Communist Party of France .
Difficult war years
In September 1939, when the Second World War began, Cartier-Bresson went to the front, became corporal of the French army (as a photo documentary). During one of the battles for France, the photographer was captured, where he spent almost 3 years in forced labor. Twice he tried to escape from the camp, for which he was punished by being in solitary confinement. The third escape was successful; he managed to hide under fake documents. He began to work in the subway and secretly collaborate with other photographers.
When France freed itself from the Nazis, all this Bresson was able to capture in his photographs. At the same time, he helped create a documentary film about the liberation of the country and the return of French soldiers home. This film was shot in the United States. After that, the Americans organized a vernissage of his photo at the Museum of Modern Art. In 1947, the first book of the works of Henri Cartier-Bresson was published.
An interesting bureau for photojournalists
In 1947, Cartier-Bresson, together with his friends Robert Kappa, David Seymour, George Roger, organized the first photojournalism agency called Magnum Photo. Team members were allocated to the state. The young photojournalist was able to visit many parts of Indonesia, China, and India. The photographer received international recognition after covering the funeral of Gandhi in India (1948). He was also able to capture on camera the last stage of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the arrival of a communist standing in Beijing. In 1950, Henry traveled to South India, where he photographed the surroundings of settlements and interesting moments from the life of the country.
The publication of the book "The decisive moment"
In 1952, the first book of the great master in English was published. It housed 126 masterpieces made in different parts of the world. Cartier in this book was able to show his view on the art of photography. The most important task of the photographer, in his opinion, is to catch an important fraction of a second for the frame.
In 1955, the first exhibition of his works was held in France. It was organized in the Louvre itself. Prior to that, there had never been a photo exhibition. The world of Cartier-Bresson is very diverse. In 1966, the photographer focused on portrait and landscape photography.
Soviet Union through the eyes of the master of photography
The great Cartier-Bresson was able to visit the USSR twice. He first came here when Stalin died (1954). Already in 1955, the first album "Moscow" was published, which was published in Live magazine. This is the first publication in the West about the life of Soviet citizens in the postwar period. For the first time in many years, Soviet people got the opportunity to step out from behind a veil of secrecy. Bresson traveled to Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia.
The photographer always spoke with caution about the Soviet Union, as if he was afraid that someone would overhear him. The second time Henry came here in the 70s. In the foreground of the Cartier-Bresson photographs there have always been people: children with parents, dancing youth, workers at a construction site. Among his masterpieces are photographs of peaceful demonstrations, lines at the shelves of department stores and the Lenin Mausoleum. The photographer masterfully removed the connection of man with reality.
Painting
In 1967, Bresson divorced his first wife and took up fine art. It seemed to him that he took everything he could from the photograph. He hid his camera in a safe and only occasionally took it with him for a walk.
Henry soon married a second time, and in this marriage he had a daughter, Melanie (1972).
The master himself never liked to be photographed, even when awarded an honorary degree from Oxford University. He avoided the moments when he was filmed, sometimes even covered his face. Cartier-Bresson never advertised his personal life.
The founder of photojournalism died in 2004, at the 96th year of his life. Shortly before his death, he managed to open a fund of his heritage, so that more and more new generations of photographers would study on his work.
Cartier-Bresson Technique
Almost always, the master worked with a Leica camera equipped with a 50 mm lens. Often, he wrapped the chrome-plated body of the device with a black ribbon to make it less noticeable. Bresson never cropped his photos, did not make any photo montages, and did not use flash. The master worked exclusively in black and white, never came close to the object. The most important thing was to catch the decisive moment. He believed that even the smallest thing can be an excellent subject for a picture, and the most ordinary person - the leitmotif for a gorgeous photo. His style is honest street photography. The master of photography was able to capture many celebrities on the film: Henri Matisse, Jean Renoir, Albert Camus and others.
Books of the famous master
Anyone who at least once looked at a photo of this world famous photographer could be sure that Henri Cartier-Bresson was a very interesting person. The books of this master have spread all over the world. The first of them, “The Decisive Moment,” was released in 1952. In addition to her, such books were published: “Muscovites”, “Europeans”, “The World of Henri Cartier-Bresson”, “About Russia”, “The Face of Asia”, “Dialogues”. The book “Imaginary Reality” contains many memoirs, diary entries, and an essay by a famous photojournalist. Cartier-Bresson's books are very valuable; many modern talents are taught in his photographic skills on his advice.
Tips from the master to beginner photographers:
- It is necessary to accurately build the frame, think through its boundaries and center, and use the versatility.
- The photo master should not attract attention, his task is to remain inconspicuous.
- The photographer needs to travel a lot, to study the psychology and characteristics of people.
- It’s better to get one good camera instead of a few low-quality ones.
- It is good at first to learn to photograph children and adolescents, they are immediate.
- A true photographer must have an artistic taste.
- You should not take a lot of shots, you need to very clearly wait for the right moment to shoot.
- No need to stop there, all the time you should strive for new heights.