Customer Reviews

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Biography

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm surprised to be the first reviewer of a biography of one of the worlds most revered photographers.

There are two reasons why I have given this book only three stars.

The first is the lack of photographs. Oh, there are plenty of photos OF Cartier-Bresson, but none BY Cartier-Bresson.
Although Assouline describes some of HCB's work, there are no examples.

Do Assouline and the publisher actually believe that everyone who reads this book is so familiar with HCB that they've memorized his work? More likely they have chosen not to pay the royalties.

The second reason is my disappointment with the almost complete lack of insight into the photographer's thoughts. There's plenty of information about his political beliefs (more than needed in my opinion) but nowhere does one find an explanation of what motivated him to press the shutter release.

These shortcomings aside, this is an immensely readable book. Not only does it go into the details of HCB's life, but it puts them into historical perspective. Cartier-Bresson was present at, and often involved in, some of the most important events of the 20th century.

I would have prefered a bit more detail regarding his time spent as a German prisoner of war during WWII. His meeting with Gandhi shortly before the Mahatma's death was also glossed over.

I got the feeling that Assouline was being extraordinarly kind. There is very little mention of HCB's famous temper or acerbic tongue. That would be fine if this were simply a photography book, but it's supposed to be a biography.

Being a long-time fan of Cartier-Bresson's work I did get a lot of enjoyment out of the book. I'm also familiar enough with his work that the lack of photographs wasn't a hardship. However, unless you intimately know HCB's work, you may want to familiarize yourself with it BEFORE reading the bio.

This book has been somewhat unfairly reviewed.

I have just read this fine book from cover to cover. Whilst I found it worthy of 4 stars, I have to agree that it has some weaknesses.

- The book really should have some of the photos to which the text often refers.

- The author has assumed that readers have a good knowledge of Henri and his work.

It is not a perfect book, BUT it is a very good book, IF you already have a good idea of Cartier-Bresson's life-story and life's work.

If you are an awe-inspired follower of Henri's photography, as I am, and have a good knowledge of his photos from reading and looking at his many books, you will find this an informative, enjoyable and satisfying read.

If you were to read this in conjunction with a book that includes his most important photo's, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Photographer, you would be able to gain a great deal from reading this book.

However this is a book for the well-prepared.

I found the many anecdotes and quotations entertaining. They gave me a clearer insight into the man's life and his genius.

For anyone who is aspiring to be a photographer or simply enjoys photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson is well-known legend in this realm of art. This book is great in all aspects-it tells of his beginnings, and tribulations, but also shares inspiring stories and words. It follows him throughout his life, and the events that affected his art. This book is not a short book, and can take some time to read. But if you like reading and enjoy this artist very much, you might not be able to put this book down. All around great book to read.

Henri Cartier-Bresson is undoubtedly one of the giants of modern photography. Much has been written about him and particularly his approach to photography, but nothing with this depth about his personal life. This is a book for those who have held "The Decisive Moment" in their hands, who are familiar with the master's work, or at least are willing to seek out some of the many publications of Cartier-Bresson's photographs from Amazon or their local library. Leica enthusiasts should be fascinated; HCB, as he is known by many, was the first (and perhaps the best) to push the Leica to its full potential. The book includes many photographs of Cartier-Bresson himself, some never before published. It does not include any of his photographs as they are surely best seen in the masterfully produced editions of The Decisive Moment, The Scrapbook, The World of Henri Cartier-Bresson, etc. What a fascinating life HCB has led. And what a pleasure it is to learn some of the background behind photographs long familiar to us, which until now had little more attached to them than the name of the country and the year in which they were taken. The translation from the French is a bit awkward, and inaccurate, at times, but I find that more charming than an irritation. This biography fills an enormous gap. It provides a loving and extensive glimpse into a private and remarkable world, and I am thankful for it.

For the most part, this book is excellently written--even poetically written, at times. For the person who already appreciates and even worships Henri Cartier-Bresson (as I do) this book is satisfactory. For everyone else, however, this book lacks several important things:

1. Actual reproductions of the photographs specifically mentioned.
2. Aesthetic evaluations of the photographs mentioned.
3. Critical analyses by people not the author.

----Irving Orenstein

Pierre Assouline's book is an uninspired chronicle of the life of Henri Cartier-Bresson, the well-traveled artist and, according to Assouline, liberal intellectual who produced some of the twentieth century's most important journalistic photography.

One of the most annoying aspects of the book is its inartful explanation of Cartier-Bresson's privileged background and its effects on his life. Assouline stumbles when telling this part of the story, and the book cannot recover. On the one hand, the text constantly presents us with tantalizing aspects of idle wealth: the personalities, the international travel, the social, artistic and political allegiances. On the other hand, it half-heartedly makes the case that Cartier-Bresson all along eschewed his family's wealth. A boring and predictable explanation that, among other things, is not supported by direct evidence. Far from it. All indications are that Cartier-Bresson relied upon his social rank and resources while rising to artistic fame. He may have done it passively, but, at a minimum, his standing and money put him in the right place at the right time; and gave him the right friends. This is the story to be told.

In the first few chapters, Assouline takes us on a bland tour of the art schools, cafes and salons of Paris where the young Cartier-Bresson (along with other sons and daughters of the world's industrialist class) embedded himself during the 1930's lull between wars. The writer next focuses on Cartier-Bresson's dalliances with painting and world travel, along with his abbreviated career as a filmaker. Descriptions of pre-war France have been well and fascinatingly told elsewhere. In Assouline's book Cartier-Bresson's artistic and literary milieu comes off as impossibly ordinary.

The book's highest point is achieved in its chapters about the photographer's life during and immediately after World War II. But even these chapters do not describe for us any important episodes in his relations with other Magnum photographers. The writer obliquely references the photographer's sharp temper, but nowhere does it make an appearance directly. Cartier-Bresson's work within the Magnum agency is where the real meat of his biography should lie, but none of it is exposed to the reader.

This book is not worth your time. Rather, spend it looking at Cartier-Bresson's work, his photographs.