Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practising?
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer born in 1908, before becoming involved with photography Cartier-Bresson had a strong connection with painting and the surrealist style. Cartier-Bresson started his photography journey in 1932 after discovering the Leica camera and soon developed a passion for photography, and a liking to the Leica camera. In the three decades Cartier-Bresson was an active photographer he accumulated many awards, held countless exhibitions, and contributed to numerous films and books. Cartier-Bresson’s interest in photography started to decline in 1962, preferring to focus on other art forms such as painting and drawing (Magnum Photos, n.d)
What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?)
The image I have chosen to analyse is entitled ‘Behind the Gare St. Lazare’ which can be found here.
With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced (date)?
The image was taken literally behind the Gare Saint Lazare in Paris in 1932. No further date specifics are known.
How was the photo or video authored?
Due to the photograph being one of Cartier-Bresson’s earlier works, it can be assumed that Cartier-Bresson used his favoured Leica Rangefinder accompanied with a 50mm lens that the majority of his photographs were taken with (Rockwell & Rockwell, 2009).
No longer did photographers have to deal with long exposure times, and longer set ups of bulky equipment, easily portable cameras like the Leica gave photographers a new ability to experiment with. With the recent introduction of small handheld camera that came about during the 1920’s, photographers gained the ability to quickly capture a moment, a style Cartier-Bresson became known for. Due to this quickened exposure time Cartier-Bresson was able to capture a man mid jump from his ladder into a puddle, but the man is yet to connect with the water leaving it to still be highly reflective. Giving was to allow Cartier-Bresson to explore a new avenue of momentary candid photography.
How was the photo or video published?
The photography was published on gelatin silver as a 35.2 × 24.1 cm print in the 1950’s, the print was gifted to the Museum of Modern Art, New York by Cartier-Bresson. As the photography has been exchanged and traded amongst galleries, it can be hard to track where the photography now resides.
The process of printing a photograph on gelatin silver was one of the most common means of transferring a high quality image to an also high quality black and white print. Even with the advent f colour photography, art photographer took a fondness and exclusivity to the black and white outcome gelatin silver prints produces, generally favouring them up until the 1970’s (Middlebury College Museum of Art, n.d).
How was the photo or video distributed?
The photography has been distributed through many different galleries over the years; being featured at the Museum of Modern Art New York, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Contessa Gallery in Cleveland, and many other. Whilst the print has travel amongst various galleries, the availability to view the print used to be highly dependent on geographical location in relation to where the print is currently being displayed.
Whilst with the rise of the internet, many art galleries now have virtual depictions of their past and present displays, even providing information about the piece through their websites. Now viewing this piece is not depended on being located near its place of viewing.
References:
Cartier-Bresson, H 1932, Behind the Gare St. Lazare, photography on gelatin silver, 35.2 × 24.1 cm, viewed 1 April 2020, <https://www.moma.org/collection/works/98333>.
Magnum Photos n.d, Henri Cartier-Bresson Profile, Magnum Photos, viewed 1 April 2020, <https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/henri-cartier-bresson/>.
Middlebury College Museum of Art n.d, What is a gelatin silver print?, Middlebury College Museum of Art, viewed 1 April 2020, <https://sites.middlebury.edu/landandlens/2016/10/07/what-is-a-gelatin-silver-print/>.
Rockwell, K & Rockwell, R 2009, Cartier-Bresson and the LEICA, Ken Rockwell, viewed 1 April 2020, <https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/cartier-bresson.htm>.