Henri Cartier-Bresson (Photofile) [Paperback]

Henri Cartier-Bresson (Photographer), Michael Brenson (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0500410607 | ISBN-13: 978-0500410608 | Publication Date: December 1, 2006 | Edition: 1

Gorgeous duotones that show how, for Cartier-Bresson, art is an expression of common humanity.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) studied painting before taking up photography in his early twenties. One of the founders of the photography agency Magnum (together with Robert Capa and others), he is best known for the skill with which he captured the most fleeting of scenes. This volume includes his photographs of France, Spain, America, India, Russia, Mexico, and pre-revolutionary China.

About the series: The classic Photofile series brings together the best work of the world's greatest photographers in an attractive format and at a reasonable price. Handsome and collectible, the books are produced to the highest standards. Each volume contains some sixty full-page reproductions printed in superb duotone, together with a critical introduction and a full bibliography. Now back in print, the series was awarded the first annual prize for distinguished photographic books by the International Center of Photography. 63 duotone illustrations

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson has resulted in a body of work unique in the history of this craft, not alone in kind but in quality. Apart from the fact that he is responsible for more individual memorable images than any other photographer in his epoch, his attitude toward his art . . . is based on a philosophy at once traditional, logical, and exemplary."--Lincoln Kirstein
-- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Michael Brenson is an art critic and the author of numerous books, including Visionaries and Outcasts, Acts of Engagement and Culture in Action.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500410607
• ISBN-13: 978-0500410608
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice little collection, January 7, 2005

By 

Bukkene Bruse (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson (Masters of Photography Series) (Hardcover)

This collection is a nice, compact, and inexpensive sample of Cartier-Bresson's photographs. I would have prefered the book to be a little larger to allow for bigger pictures. The print quality is decent. I was disappointed that my favorite photograph by him, the one of the bicyclist going by the staircase entitled "Hyères, France", was absent.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Master, October 5, 2005

By 

George Black (Mount Pleasant, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson (Masters of Photography Series) (Hardcover)

If Cartier-Bresson did not invent the art of 35mm street photography, he certainly brought it to the attention of other serious photographers and the public. Trained as a painter, his eye for composition was unerring, but it was his instinct for the defining human gesture--that he termed "the decisive moment"--that made him one of the immortals of photographic history. As one of the founding members of Magnum, he changed the way we think of photographs and the way we see the world. This book is an introduction to his work. As such, it's all too short, but the economical format makes it possible to see a few decent examples of his work and perhaps to inspire further study. He was a true master of the art.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of Bresson, June 25, 2006

By 

M. R. Schweppe (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henri Cartier-Bresson (Masters of Photography Series) (Hardcover)

A lovely little book showing the most famous pictures of Henri Cartier-Bresson on 95 pages only. A must-have for the Cartier-Bresson fans or a great first book to have on this fabulous photographer.