A Fine Photography Monograph

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Man, the Image and the World - Philippe Arbaizar
Originally published in hardcover in 2003 - Thames and Hudson

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I am unabashedly not well versed in photography -- so take that for what it's worth.


This book was a recommendation by a Goodreader who knows I at least appreciate art and so I bought the book.


From what I can tell Cartier-Bresson is a master. The early 20th century should thank him for his work.


As I went through this book, I felt a pang of sadness at the first groupings of photos, wishing this artist had only captured my country. And so what a delight when I came to the second half of the book and saw his American work. Cartier-Bresson has the gift of capturing those human moments that define both a time and a place. 


I love the arrangement of the photos by their sections and the life of Cartier-Bresson is well documented in this tome. My favorite is his French idyllic photographs and my absolute favorite is still Rue Mouffetard.


This is a treat.


Amazon description - Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the finest image makers of our time. Born in 1908, he studied painting before embarking on a career in photography in the 1930s. In 1940 he was captured by the Germans and spent three years in prisoner-of-war camps before escaping to join the Paris underground. With Robert Capa, David Seymour and others, he founded the photographic agency Magnum in 1947. Since then his work has taken him all over the world - from Europe to India, Burma, Pakistan, China, Japan, Indonesia, Bali, Russia, the Middle East, Cuba, Mexico, the United States and Canada. This new collection of work by Cartier-Bresson, created on the occasion of his ninety-fifth birthday, provides the ultimate retrospective look at a lifetime's achievement. It includes the first photographs taken by him, a significant number of which have never been published, rarely seen work from all periods of his life, classic photographs that have become icons of the medium, and a generous selection of drawings, paintings and film stills. The book also features personal souvenirs of Cartier-Bresson's youth, his family and the founding of Magnum. Cartier-Bresson's extraordinary images are shaped by an eye and a mind legendary for their intelligent empathy and for going to the heart of the matter. This definitive collection of a master photographer's work will be an essential book for anyone interested in photography - indeed, for anyone interested in the people, places and events of the last century.