1: Living in the Shadow of Henri Cartier-Bresson
Robert Doisneau is best known for his photo of a couple kissing on a Paris street. (Haven't seen it? You don't buy greeting cards or calendars, do you?)
Doisneau was one of the very best "street photographers" ever, who documented Paris life from the 1940s to the 1970s in classic black-and-white. His ability to capture candid moments was first rate. His photos maintained a whimsical mood, for the most part, which probably kept him from being as famous as his contemporary Henri Cartier-Bresson. Personally, I think he was better than Cartier-Bresson, in terms of timing, composition, and consistency. But Cartier-Bresson emphasized subjects with more gravity, so his pictures get the nod of history, and deservedly so. (See Cartier-Bresson's monumental retrospective "The Man, The Image, & the World" -- Thames & Hudson 2003) But Doisneau documented the ordinary, with a sense of gentle irony, so his imagery gets relegated to greeting cards.
As a portrait of Paris, as a representation of Doiseau's work, and as a lesson in photographic timing and composition, this book is better than you could ask for. The opening essay by Brigitte Ollier is overly emotional (overly French?), though informative. The pictures, however, speak for themselves, and I'd bet Ollier would be the first to say so.
The price of this book is a bargain, with 665 pages of some of the best photographs by a photographer who deserves more than greeting card consideration. Truth be told (and as a HUGE fan of Cartier-Bresson), I didn't know how absolutely incredible Doisneau was until I got this book. So you should get it, too.
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