I chose to look at this photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson, a French photographer born in 1908. Behind the Gare St. Lazare was a photo taken in 1932 in Paris, France. Bresson’s photography was an advancement in art since it captured the action and motion in a scene. Surrealism had a major impact on Bresson’s work, as did the technological advancements of the industrial revolution.
Cartier-Bresson began his studies in art under Andre Lhote, a Cubist painter and sculptor. The rules of art seemed to exclusive for Cartier-Bresson, yet he did receive a solid foundation on which to base his own work. Later he shared ideas with Surrealist artists of the time and these conventions shaped his ideas of photography. Subconscious ideas and movement were large parts of the Surrealist movement, and these were the aspects Cartier-Bresson focused upon.
The industrial revolution created cities and bustling urban action. Things moved faster and people moved with them. This new world was one that Cartier-Bresson wished to capture in his photos. Taking photos of the cities of Europe he was able to represent the bustling nature of an advancing society. He wanted to capture the spontaneity and life in a picture. The industrial revolution had created a society full of movement, but the human aspect and feelings seemed to be forgotten. Photography could capture the action of the industrial revolution, but Cartier-Bresson also made sure to include the human nature of a scene.
I mainly chose this picture because of the capture of a man mid jump and his shadow cast below. The movement is captured in an otherwise dreary city scene, and the shadow is simply a touch of artistic beauty. While the action is presented in the foreground the background still represents the urban setting and the man standing near the fence contributes to the city feel. The scene represents the average worker in an average setting, but suggests there is more to their actions. I liked the subject matter of an average setting and people to create a picture that says a quite a bit about the society.
