Henri Cartier-Bresson and his photographic legacy

Henri Cartier-Bresson

INTERVIEWER: I was very taken aback and exhilarated to see the intense use of texture in your work. I was surprised to see how much more significantly this characteristic of your work stands out when viewing it in person. Can you explain your inclination to the capturing of powerfully textured subject matter?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: Well I certainly love texture. I see life as a multi-textured, multi-layered experience and I want to capture that. We know that photography is simply a means of capturing life. But more specifically, it is a means of capturing a precise and fleeting moment in life (Cartier-Bresson). Therefore, I like to try to capture as many layers of lifelike texture as possible in order to give the photograph real meaning and accuracy.

INTERVIEWER: I am from Indonesia and I was happy to see that you have spent some time working in my homeland. I was in awe of the way you were able to capture the true essence of a not-often-publicized culture. What made you implement such a wide international scope in your work?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: I believe it is always better to have a wide scope than a narrow scope. Also, I have lived all over the world. For instance, I spent time in Africa as a safari guide, I traveled all over Europe in my youth, and I have fallen in love with many places around the globe, most notably Marseille, France (Chalifour). My love for these places has inspired me to try to capture their spirit.

INTERVIEWER: As I was strolling through your exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art I noticed that there was a fluid segway from your black and white work to your work with color. While I must give some credit to the curators of your exhibit for the fluidity of this transformation, I was wondering what factors made you want to change from black and white to color?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: I feel that different events have different meanings. That is to say, you cannot use the same tools to capture different events. Just as in one instance Da Vinci might create a painting to capture an idea, other times the idea may be subconsciously conveyed to him in the form of a sculpture. The same is true in photography.

INTERVIEWER: In keeping with this topic, I was emotionally touched by most all pieces in both collections of your work (that is the black and white collection and the color collection). But is there some subject matter or emotional material that you feel is better captured in color instead of black and white? Or vice versa?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: Well quite often color can define the significance of a moment (Schjeldahl). For example, when attempting to capture a picturesque sunset or skyline, some aspect of its beauty is typically forgone in the absence of a color-capturing lens. The same goes for very colorful places; there are places on Earth where their colors give them meaning, their colors enliven them. Surely, something would be lost if one were to try to capture such places without the use of color.

INTERVIEWER: To regress back to a more biographical line of questioning, what inspired your interest in photography?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: The inspiration for my photographic endeavors came in the form of painting. I spent a significant period studying with the cubist painter Andre Lhote, who taught me to see like a painter (Chalifour). His teachings helped me to train my eye to search for the light that is normally the cornerstone of great composition.

INTERVIEWER: Can you tell me a little bit about the environment in which you grew up and how it has influenced your work?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: Growing up in France exposed me to a wealth of potential for the subject matter of my future works. With my parents having a respectable social status, they were able to sponsor and encourage my abilities throughout my youth (Assouline). The ever-present art scene in France always inspired me. Yet I also garnered inspiration from the scenes seldom depicted on canvas (Assouline). It was in the common streets of towns (and not the lavish gardens or polo matches where artists typically worked) that I drew my largest inspirations. This lead to my pioneering of what has come to be called "street photography" (Assouline). By using a small and portable camera, I was easily able to capture these candid images while creating little distraction or obstruction (Chalifour).

INTERVIEWER: How did the agency known as "Magnum" aid in the advancement of your photographic career?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: The Magnum agency has been a huge help to me over the years. In addition to giving me a means of employment, Magnum has allowed me to travel the world doing what I love (Chalifour). This is particularly important because, as I alluded to earlier, a worldly scope is an essential aspect of my work. My travels allowed me to gain a more precise recognition of the true emotion and power of humanity (Assouline 43). Such trips also provided me with various homes. For you cannot simply "rush in and out" rather you must stay long enough to truly "get a feeling of the place" in which you are working (Cartier-Bresson 2).

INTERVIEWER: This photograph is entitled "Behind the Gare St. Lazare" and it has had a powerful effect on me. Seeing it in person at the San Francisco MoMA gave me a deeper appreciation of the stark contrast of the work along with its brilliant textures. What was the goal you were trying to achieve in this depiction?

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: Well this photograph is certainly one of my favorites. It is a superb example of the "street-life" style I always tried to capture in my work (Assouline). This specific instant depicts the entrance where many of the workers entered the railway station for work in the morning. I wanted to capture the familiar feeling of the "morning rush." Thus, there is a significant amount of action occurring in this piece.

INTERVIEWER: This photo was taken on my home island of Sumatra, Indonesia and it also possess the same title ("Sumatra, Indonesia"). Taken in 1950, this epic photo captures the common agriculturally-based lifestyle prevalent throughout most of Indonesia during this period. I was very happy to see that you have been to my homeland, what was your main motivation in learning about this culture?