Thursday, January 28, 2010

Photographing America 1929-1947

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans : photographing America 1929-1947
edited and with an introduction by curator Agnès Sire ; essay by Jean-Francois Chevrier] [770.922 Sir]

Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans shared a mutual administration society. Cartier-Bresson said, "If it had not been for the challenge of the work of Walker Evans, I don't think that I would have remained a photographer." Evans, in a review of Cartier-Bresson's book The Decisive Eye wrote, "Cartier-Bresson was and is a true man of the eye. More, he was one of the few innovators in photography." In 1946 Cartier-Bresson sailed to New York to prepare his show at the Museum of Modern Art. While he was in America, Cartier-Bresson and two companions made a 77-day road trip from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific photographing daily life. This book is filled plates of Cartier-Bresson's work as it compares to Evans' work made during the Great Depression. I found it fascinating to view the images and see how Cartier-Bresson used Evans' work to as a starting point to develop his own interpretation of similar scenes. Evans used lines to draw the viewer into the image and wonder about person's story. While Cartier-Bresson found the discordant element in the image and made the viewer stop and ponder the mystery. [If you like this one, you may also enjoy books about Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Wright Morris.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ Wikipedia page for Henri Cartier-Bresson ] | [ Wikipedia page for Walker Evans ]

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