Henri Cartier-Bresson: À Propos de Paris [Paperback]

Henri Cartier-Bresson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

Photography is nothing, it's life that interests me.--Henri Cartier-Bresson. A PROPOS DE PARIS presents the renowned photographer's personal selection of more than 130 of his best photographs of Paris taken over 50 years. This is a unique gallery of urban landscapes rendered by a great sensibility. 131 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Photography is nothing, it's life that interests me." With his ever-present Leica camera, Henri Cartier-Bresson captured the raw and the sweet, the comic and the profound moments of lives that were lost in the grind or relegated to someone else's memory--the coincidental moment at which a reflection in a puddle of water mimics a poster on a nearby wall or when lovers kiss, oblivious to the not-so-pristine world around them. It is the familiar beauty and cruelty of the day-to-day that is so engaging in his photographs: two cosmopolitan woman chat nonchalantly while surrounded by empty lettuce crates; mourners at a funeral stare directly into the camera; postwar Paris awakens in the fog. Cartier-Bresson was the master of the "decisive moment," that fleeting instant for which a picture really is worth a thousand words, which is the essence of photojournalism. In no place is this more exemplified than in his images of Paris.

Cartier-Bresson personally selected the more than 130 black-and-white photographs of Paris for this publication. With photographs taken over a period of 50 years, the work is beautifully and generously printed in duotone. The accompanying essays, both short and unobtrusive, are also familiar and personal. One essayist captures the essence of Cartier-Bresson's camera work: "When life calls, he is always there, to assist, or to admire; to rebel, or to say no to exploiters and imposters, and to all those who demean its value." --Manine Golden

About the Author

Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of this century's leading photographers and his career has profoundly influenced the field. His earliest images are of Europe in the 1930s and 40s; he later traveled throughout the world -- to the United States, India, Japan, China, Mexico, the Soviet Union -- to frame the world with his camera.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821224964
• ISBN-13: 978-0821224960
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.8 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel

More About the Author

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 - August 3, 2004) is perhaps the greatest photographer of the twentieth century. In a career spanning over sixty years, he has used his camera as an impassive and neutral third eye to capture the vagaries of human behaviour and to produce some of the most memorable and compelling photographs ever published.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Half a century of monochrome one-liners - HCB en Paris!, June 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson: À Propos de Paris (Paperback)

Henri Cartier-Bresson, master of (creator indeed of the phrase) 'the decisive moment,' here celebrates over 50 years of observation and humour from his home base of Paris, France. Everything from gunfights (against the Nazis) to dogfights (well, they're actually making love not war) is here, captured by the fastest shutter finger in the business.

Cartier-Bresson is 90 this year, and has gathered together a beautifully rendered set of 131 plates, any one of which is good enough for over the mantelpiece. As a coffee-table book, A Propos de Paris will entertain you and flatter your tastes as far as your guests are concerned.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Composition Genius, April 21, 2000

By 

Augsburg57 (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson: À Propos de Paris (Paperback)

Henri is a genius in composition. This book records over and over how Henri is able to not just break the rules on composing a photgraph, but re-write them. That unique ability is amazing. Especially when viewed in conjunction with his ability to capture people in the precise moment he needs to -- in order to communicate the image he must anticipate with a great sense of intuition. The photographs in this book are just a delight to visit over and over again.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must See, Must Have, November 16, 2002

By 

mark861 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson: À Propos de Paris (Paperback)

Anyone who is a serious student of photography should have this book. Anyone who is curious as to what "great" photographs should look like, look inside and be enlightened. The public at large tends to regard black and white photographs as inferior to color work. The truth is, a black and white photograph will stand the test of time, while a color photograph starts fading the moment it comes out of the dryer. The truth is, any good black and white photograph will make you overlook the fact that it's not in color. The mind's eye makes you see the "color." Cartier-Bresson is a true master. His work that's shown in this book is every superlative that's ever been coined, including the vulgarities. Viewing the photographs within is worth a dozen books on compositional theory. Each is a benchmark of what a quality photograph should look like. A Propos de Paris truly is a must see, must have.