Enfants Miliciens

Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practicing?
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer who aimed to capture “the decisive moment”, and was considered a pioneer in candid photography. Bresson considered himself to be a surrealist photographer but was widely viewed to be a photojournalist. Bresson initially studied painting but then turned to photography, really starting to take it seriously in the 1930s (Moma 2010).

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?) 

The photo I have chosen to analyse is Enfants Miliciens.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/henri-cartier-bresson/enfants-miliciens-shiu-shin-china-aflX9WdaTb15a1XBDcS_KQ2

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced (date)?

This photo was produced in 1958 in Shiu Shin, China.

How was the photo or video authored?

Unfortunately, I was unable to find which specific camera Bresson used to take this photo, however it is highly likely that he utilised a Leica camera with a 50mm lens, as this was well known to be his preferred camera and lens. The reason for which he enjoyed utilising this camera was because it was lightweight, small and quiet which allowed him to be unobtrusive when taking street photography (Malone 2012). The 50mm lens is considered to be the closest to capture what is seen by the human eye.

This photo was taken whilst Bresson was touring in communist China in 1958, wherein he took both colour and black and white photographs. This specific photo is in black and white, which was what he was mostly known for, having produced very few colour photos. This photo is an example of Bresson’s said “decisive moment”, the way in which it was framed and the precise moment it was taken to portray a meaningful and thought out photograph. Bresson was known for not cropping his photographs, not altering them post production. Therefore, it is interesting to consider how he framed this photograph, wherein the stacked guns, the boys playing behind them and the Chinese calligraphy are all reminiscent of each thing, mirrored in some ways. Bresson had a reputation for considering the geometry of his photographs, how each object is situated in relation to the others in the frame. The choice to have the guns and the children in shot also has a lot of connotations in representing communist China at that time, the title, translating to ‘child soldiers’, reflects this.

How was the photo or video published?

The photo was published by Life magazine, who printed an issue of Life titled ‘Red China’ in 1958.

“With the perceptiveness for which he is famous,” LIFE declared of the photographer’s work in China, “Cartier-Bresson has shown how the Chinese individually react and live amid the oppressive regimentation imposed on them.” (Ronk 2012)

It is interesting to consider how Bresson might have been impacted through his work having a specific purpose- to be printed in a magazine. His role was to “[capture] the authentic experience of a strange place” because “photographs are records and documents which pin down the changing world experience” (Wells 2015). Additionally, the way in which Life magazine was formatted, as it was “condensed into captions for 50 pages of photographs” and “printed on heavily coated paper” (New World Encyclopedia 2018). He must have considered the impact of the photo on the magazines audience, also considering how the photograph might contribute to the narrative Life wanted to depict through his photographs.

How was the photo or video distributed?

This photograph was published in Life Magazine, which is an American magazine and therefore predominantly circulated in America. The magazine did publish international editions, however there is limited information as to whether ‘Red Colour’ (1958) was published internationally. Therefore, it can be assumed that it was marketed to the American public, distributed through news stands and subscription mail. When ‘Red Colour’ (1958) was published, Life was renowned for it’s quality of photography and coverage of world issues (New World Encyclopedia 2018).

We live in a world now where everyone is or at least can be a photographer. Distribution is not an issue anymore as the internet is readily available as a useful distributer.

“we are not just photographers today: we have become distributers, activists and curators of the light traces immobilised on photo-sensitive surfaces” (Kuc & Zylinska 2016)

The photograph I have chosen to analyse can be found throughout the internet, posted on art websites and blogs. But it is amidst the hundreds of thousands of other images, what sets it apart is the photographer’s continued notoriety. His reputation in the field of art and photojournalism, people are still actively seeking out his work and finding it on the internet, which has preserved his work as a photographer.

 REFERENCES

Moma 2010, Henri Cartier Bresson: The Modern Century, viewed 5 April 2019, <https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/967>

Malone 2012, Would Henri Cartier-Bresson have used a cameraphone?, The Guardian, viewed 6 April 2019, <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jan/10/henri-cartier-bresson-cameraphone>

New World Encyclopedia 2018, Life (magazine), viewed 6 April 2019, <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Life_(magazine)>

Kuc K & Zylinska J 2015, Photomediations: A Reader, Open Humanities Press, London

Wells, L 2015, Photography: A Critical Introduction, 5th ed, Routledge, New York

Ronk, L 2012, Henri Cartier-Bresson: ‘Red China’ in Color, 1958, Time, viewed 6 April 2019, <http://time.com/3872061/cartier-bresson-red-china-in-color-1958/>

 

 

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