“In order to 'give a meaning' to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, a discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry—it is by great economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression. One must always take photographs with the greatest respect for the subject and for oneself.”
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment, pl. 11 Cartier-Bresson, The World of Henri Cartier-Bresson, pl. 11 Bibliothèque nationale de France, De qui s'agit-il?, p. 101 Chéroux, Henri Cartier-Bresson: Here and Now, pl. 56 Chéroux, Discoveries: Henri Cartier-Bresson, p. 32 Chéroux, Aperture Masters of Photography: Henri Cartier-Bresson, p. 29 Clair, Henri Cartier-Bresson: Europeans, p. 76 Galassi, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Early Work, p. 102 Galassi, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century, p. 31 Montier, Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Artless Art, pl. 236 Steidl, Henri Cartier-Bresson Scrapbook, pl. 95 Thames & Hudson, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Image and The World, pl. 114 Thames & Hudson, Henri Cartier-Bresson: Photographer, pl. 28
Candidly capturing fleeting moments of beauty among the seemingly ordinary happenings of daily life, Henri Cartier-Bresson's work is intuitive and observational. Initially influenced by the Surrealists' "aimless walks of discovery," he began shooting on his Leica while traveling through Europe in 1932, revealing the hidden drama and idiosyncrasy in the everyday and mundane. The hand-held Leica allowed him ease of movement while attracting minimal notice as he wandered in foreign lands, taking images that matched his bohemian spontaneity with his painterly sense of composition.
Cartier-Bresson did not plan or arrange his photographs. His practice was to release the shutter at the moment his instincts told him the scene before him was in perfect balance. This he later famously titled "the decisive moment" — a concept that would influence photographers throughout the twentieth century.
