Henri Cartier-Bresson

French, 1908-2004

Madrid, 1933

Silver print on paper

30.5 (ht) x 40.8 (wi) cm Image: 24.2 (iht) x 36.3 (iwi) cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from an anonymous donor

G-88-293

Categories:

Photograph, Photography

A forerunner in developing the style known as street photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, largely due to his great skill at capturing poignant candid shots. Early in his career Cartier-Bresson was linked to the Surrealist group in Paris, whose style and perspective is evident in the composition of this image in the WAG’s collection. In the early 1930s Cartier-Bresson acquired a Leica camera whose small, unobtrusive design allowed him to penetrate a crowd or access an intimate moment almost undetected to capture unguarded, natural behaviour. This documentary spirit can be seen in the foreground of the image where only two boys seem to acknowledge the presence of the camera.