Juvisy, France
<p>Henri Cartier-Bresson originated the phrase “the decisive moment”—the instant when everything in the camera’s frame aligns serendipitously to create the perfect composition. A founder of Magnum, a cooperative photographic agency formed in 1947 to give photographers creative control over their own images, Cartier-Bresson traveled the world as a photojournalist. The Art Institute acquired seven of his photographs in 1962, including this image of children playing beside the Seine, precisely framed and divided by gravel, pathways, and shrubs. Edwards later wrote in a letter: “There are many great photographs by Cartier-Bresson, but this always remains my favorite.”</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1955
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/paper: 19.7 × 29.5 cm (7 13/16 × 11 5/8 in.); Mount: 55.9 × 45.8 cm (22 1/16 × 18 1/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
Artist
Photography
In his seminal 1952 monograph, The Decisive Moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote, “To take a photograph means to recognize, simultaneously and within a fraction of a second, both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning.” Cartier-Bresson’s keen eye for such “decisive moments” – both on the grand scale of international politics and in the most ordinary moments of everyday life – have made him one of the most influential and original figures in the history of photography. A pioneer in the realms of photojournalism, street photography and portraiture, Cartier-Bresson’s iconic black and whites capture the drama, mystery and poetry of 20th century life with inimitable specificity and immediacy.
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More by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Pause Between Two Poses
1989 · Gelatin silver print, printed c. 2000
Romania
1975 · Gelatin silver print, printed 1980s
Castile, Spain
1975 · Gelatin silver print, printed 1980s
Ezra Pound, Venice
1971 · Gelatin silver print, printed 1980s
Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris
1968 · Gelatin silver print
Henri Langlois
1968 · Gelatin silver print
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Year
- 1955
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/paper: 19.7 × 29.5 cm (7 13/16 × 11 5/8 in.); Mount: 55.9 × 45.8 cm (22 1/16 × 18 1/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1955-105385
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified