Customer Reviews

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century

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Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was to photography what the Impressionists were to painting. Those breakthrough artists grasped that the latest innovation in technology--pre-mixed paints, packaged in tubes--allowed them to go outside their studios and chronicle the life they found there. In much the same way, Cartier-Bresson rejected the heavy studio-based camera, covered the shiny lens of a lightweight Nikon with black tape so his subjects would be less inclined to notice him, and took to the streets.

What he invented there was, essentially, photojournalism.

He shot and shot and shot some more, looking for "the decisive moment" that revealed its subject and maybe much more. When he found it, he turned his film over to the lab--he had no interest in printing, less in cropping.

The show includes his revealing portraits of Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus, Picasso, Colette, Matisse, Pound and Giacometti. But the decisive moment did not necessarily mean photographing Personages and Celebrities. In 1937, he was assigned to shoot the coronation of King George VI. He took not a single shot of the king. His subjects? The king's subjects, who filled the streets to cheer their new monarch.

Cartier-Bresson's photographs of civilians are body blows. Look at the picture on the cover of Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century--a mother-and-son reunion at the end of World War II. No one shot post-war conflict like Cartier-Bresson. Kids playing games amidst rubble. The denunciation of a woman accused of collaborating with the Germans. Mourners during the Algerian conflict.

For 30 years, Cartier-Bresson was everywhere. In Shanghai, during a run on the banks. In India, to take some of the last pictures of Gandhi--and, from close-up, his funeral pyre.

What especially dazzles is the clarity of his images. Women on a hilltop in Pakistan in 1949 hold their hands in prayer, their feet echoing the line of the distant mountains. A bicyclist makes a turn at the bottom of a curving staircase. A man slips over a puddle, his image reflected in the water.

Simple stuff. An eight-year-old can grasp the ideas and be excited by them. And adults can have their visual palettes refreshed, the better to see, as Cartier-Bresson did, "eternity in an instant."

I saw an exhibit of Cartier-Bresson's work a few months back at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, but instead of purchasing the book at the museum, decided to order it from amazon.com. I got a brand new copy (wrapped) and saved approximately $15 (of what it would have cost me at the museum shop!) The book arrived very quickly. It is absolutely beautiful. The reproduction of these stunning photographs by this world-renowned photographer is incredibly well-done and it is a wonderful book to own and to share with anyone who appreciates good photography. Or just appreciates the moments in a lifetime, because this is what Cartier-Bresson captures...little moments, big moments but mostly moments when his subjects were not even aware they were being photographed. There are photos from all over the world and spanning many decades, some celebrities, but lots of ordinary men, women and children as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in photography and art. You will be mesmerized by his work.

Fist of all, see the exhibit at MOMA (NYC) if you can -- it closes June 28. This is a major retrospective arguably the most influential and formally perfect of all photographers, and this exhibit allows you to step through his life via the work.

Cartier-Bresson was a master this book provides a beautiful overview of both "greatest hits" and previously unpublished images. Many of the lesser-known images are revelations, such as the post-war dockside reunion pictured on the cover.

Print quality and binding are excellent, and the essay by Peter Galassi sets the life in the context of his painterly aspirations, Magnum colleagues, and working methods.

Highest recommendation!

This book combines biographical information with photographs from the current traveling exhibition of Henri Cartier-Bresson's work. The introductory material puts the photographer's life into perspective with his world travels as a photojournalist. The collection of photographs covers a wide range and they are reproduced with a reasonably good quality. The book contains a detailed chronology of his travels along with maps showing the various destinations. Perhaps the only weakness is the lack of information of what is being shown for many of the individual photographs, which can be enigmatic at times. I have not yet seen the exhibition yet but I find this to be an excellent book.

For those of you who couldn't make it to last year's exhibition at MOMA this is the next best thing. It is a solid anthology of one of the world's greatest photographers. Everyone that I've shown this book to are so compelled to flip through every single photograph.

Every aspiring photographer should own a copy, study the seemingly effortless framing and his incredible sense of timing. The two things that really create a compelling photograph instead endless discussion of exposure, noise, sharpness, and other useless crap.

MOMA does an excellent job in creating this catalog tome for the Cartier-Bresson exhibit. Excellent reproduction of the images on tour, with additional editorial commentary on this great photographer and his work. It's a large heavy volume that will last a lifetime, just like the images being presented. Make sure you get a chance to see this exhibit. It will be in NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco this year.

I do love books and are a little worried because of the new e-books, specially having a small book store, but books like this will not disappear, they are too beautiful. We will always want to be able to touch, smell, watch slowly each photograph, enjoy the texts, imagine we can do a work of art some day, dream.

This MOMA coffee table book is large and heavy and yes for those; like the poor soul that looked at it with me, the photos are all in black and white. This was the medium of Henri Cartier-Benson, it is presented in magnificent form with the large size pages. What is missing from the main body of the photographs though are captions that explain the pictures. Unless you are a dedicated student you will have no idea what many of these photographs are illustrating; and many of them are not very familiar to even those who know his work. For example a fascinating picture of 2 men facing a wall, but all that is labeled is: Brussels 1932.
The photographs range from 1931 to 1968.
Included is a well written history of Cartier-Bresson as a photographer and illustrator, his methods and experiences. There are maps and a chronology of his travels; a list of periodicals that published his work and major photographic exhibitions and books; a bibliography and filmography in this collection of Henri Cartier-Bresson's creations.
It would be of interest to both photographers and artists, they would learn from his work

Beautiful book, good price, shipping.prompt Saw the exhibit at MOMA and had to have it!

This is a great overview of some of the most significant work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. The narrative and overview of his life adds valuable information to the life of this amazing artist. Can't wait to see the collection in SF.

Ford