It’s been almost two weeks since my visit to the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago and I am still processing the experience and probably will be for a while. Having heard much about but never having studied Cartier-Bresson in great detail, I came to the exhibit with some expectations but mostly with an open spirit. And although I was there with my friends and fellow photographers, I went through the exhibit pretty much on my own. This was not intentional but simply because I was slow getting started. Cameras are not allowed in the exhibit and I was relegated to photographing outside before entering and by then the group was already well on their way.
Experiencing art first hand is important and so too is encountering it for yourself rather than through the eyes and words of others. That’s not to say I wasn’t aware of how others around me were responding to what they seeing, it’s just that I tried to make a conscious effort to not let it influence my own impressions. I did have to chuckle when someone remarked “these are pretty good images”–if only they knew!
Cartier-Bresson is quoted as saying “Photography is nothing – it’s life that interests me” and many of the images showcased in Chicago are a testament to this philosophy. As a student of history, I was mesmerized by the photographs that told stories of an age before my time and yet I found them still relevant. Images made in Germany in 1945, India in 1948, LA in 1960 or Russia in 1973, project a sense of what is happening in the world today. It’s true that they bore witness to a changing world but there is a universality in their expression of human emotion that we can connect with now. To me, that is a hallmark of great photography and what makes these images timeless.
As I worked my way through the exhibit I stopped at images like the empty market in Pskov, Russia where I heard a man say “this is exactly what it looked like” and at the photo essay on The Bankers Trust Company a woman was excited to find a photograph that actually captured her working life. For these visitors, Cartier-Bresson’s images were filled with memories from their past and they were instantly engaged. On the other hand, I was drawn to an image of communist students demonstrating in front of a bank owned by Chiang Kai-shek’s father-in-law taken in Shanghai in 1949. My father was in China at the time and my mother’s family had a strong connection to Chiang Kai-shek (he wrote the inscription on my great-grandfather’s headstone). In my mind, I thought about what it would have been like for my father when he was there and later when reviewing the same image in the 375 page catalog, how he, like Cartier-Bresson, had to retreat to Hong Kong by boat. My friend and mentor, Ray Ketcham and I have discussed how photographs need to invite the viewer to participate through their own imagination. That I could do this so personally through one of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs came as a surprise to me.
I can’t recall how long we were at the exhibit, maybe three hours in total and that wasn’t long enough for me. When the exhibit moves to San Francisco later this year, I am going to be very tempted to see it again but August 2010 will always be the summer of Cartier-Bresson for me. I hope you will spend a bit of time reviewing what it might have meant to Marco, Stuart, Mark and Sue. This image below is for you my friends (and yes, Pat and JoEllen too). I had a wonderful time and can’t wait for our next trip together.
Very nice read, I would dearly love to see this exhibit. No amount of blog posts nor online galleries compares to seeing real life galleries and exhibits as you say it is so important we can experience art up close and personal.
There is a profundity and honesty in this post that is so you, Sabrina. Beautifully written, insightful ad meaningful. Great post.
I love the final image. For me it sums all of your qualities up in a single picture, so I am going to publicly embarrass you by sharing what I see it
Historian: An observer of history able to bridge the insights and lesson into modern life, as witnessed by the juxtaposition of HCB famous image and your inclusion of a young woman, similarly blurred, going in the opposite direction
Endless Patience:Someone able to conceive and construct and image and to have the patience to wait to execute it properly
Observer: Spotting the opportunity to create the compelling image, and the cyclist coming to wards it to include it.
Comic: WOnderful timing and delightful sense of humour
Artist: beautifully composed and post processed to draw the eye and the story.
Thank you for a great post and a great image.
Sabrina, thank you for sharing your impressions of this exhibit. Through your eyes and writings I believe we each got a taste making us hunger for more. Have a good weekend!
I am still processing the entire experience also Sabrina! So much to soak up in such a short time!
I believe my favorite photograph was the mother and son reunion after being separated for years due to World War II Europe. Everyone around them were completely oblivious to this reunion. When I saw that image, I had to catch my breath and contain my tears. So much emotion.
I could also relate to a few of the Bank and Trust photos. haha. I have used a few of those systems! It was a lifetime ago!
Great shot from you Sabrina! I like the bicyclist riding in front of the bicyclist phtoo.
If anyone is even close to this exhibit, do not miss it. Truly enjoyed it.
One of my dearest Cartier-Bresson Image that one. And you managed to add your own twist. Maybe this will be an excuse to go to SF – I’ve never been.
I thought it had been to SF, is it going back? Wonderful post, Marco has it spot on so I don’t have anything to add. I have the print of the one in the bottom image you have so very well made into your own! Wit and humour indeed.
Great blog post Sabrina! As previously mentioned, was green that you had the opportunity to see it and glad to hear your thoughts on the exhibition. Definitely nothing like seeing art up close and in the flesh.
Magnificent last image!
Oh and PS, connections to Chiang Kai-shek! In another life, you could be a gun-/power- wielding revoluntionary!
It’s funny coming across the name “Chiang Kai-shek” so far from school history lessons. Chinese history was inevitably linked with that of my motherland given the influence, and we spent a lot of time on Sun Yat-Sen. Chiang Kai Shek by association, was a subject of much interest as well.
Funny how these come to you full circle but different
Marco dit say it all!
hi! im a student from honduras, and i had to do a presentation from henri bresson….for my photography class, and i got very interested on his pictures and his life, pretty amazing!
the only thing that isnt very clear for me, is, what makes him such a good photographer? is it the composition of his photos? the luck of being at that exact place? how he took them?…
sorry if i dont make a lot of sence, or if my english isnt very good (its my 2nd language, and not very good at it)
Welcome Marco.
There are a number of reasons why people believe HCB was a great photographer. My friend Marco Ryan wrote an excellent post while we were in Chicago that summarizes the key points.
http://www.marcoryanphotography.com/index.php/2010/08/inspiration-by-cartier-bresson-perspiration-by-marco-ryan/
For me, HCB’s work resonates because although his photographs show impeccable use of composition, light, contrast, etc, they lift up the ordinary things in life and give them respect and in doing so, makes them extraordinary. He was much more concerned with the content of his images rather than the technical aspects (as witnessed through some of his compositions). That approach made for more human and memorable photographs and that is something I want to create in my own work.
also..great blog! i’ve seen other ones, but none so great as this one…great selection of pictures!
Many thanks Marco; I hope to see you here again and that you will feel at home sharing your own journey to learn photography right here.