Bresson, the historical prodigy, is famous for his prowess in photography and journalism. The French national is a double-hatted man with a fetish for Leica photographic equipment. Since his glory years, many great brands have passed before his camera and history has not failed to honour these facts.
Bresson, the pioneer of photojournalism
The famous French pioneer of photojournalism started to make a name for himself in the world of photography when he bought a Leica camera in his native country. He visited African countries such as Ivory Coast, Togo, Cameroon and Sudan in 1930. Being a true art fanatic, he equipped himself with a 50 mm lens to embellish his pictures with his photographic talent. It's worth noting that many celebrities such as Coco Channel and Marilyn Monroe collaborated with Henri Cartier-Bresson during his travels. A stay in America also allowed him to enter the world of cinema by becoming an attaché to the director in 1936 in the feature film "La vie est à nous" by Jean Renoir. Indeed, Bresson's time in the United States was fruitful in terms of cinematographic knowledge. Spain was added to his list of visited countries, where he witnessed the famous civil war. Two films, including "With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain", released in 1937, and "Spain will live", released a year later, are among the results of his trip to Catalonia. The photojournalist also made a documentary entitled "The Victory of Life" touching upon his trip to Spain. Henri Cartier-Bresson was a passionate news photographer who never stopped travelling the world. His reputation grew rapidly in 1947 when he founded the world's first photojournalism company.
Bresson's life as a photographer
For Henri Cartier-Bresson, photography is about displaying emotion, character and beauty in the same shot. The photojournalist is often referred to as a humanist photographer because of his characteristically humanistic photos. He even had the honour of capturing the one and only Gandhi in front of his lens in India before the latter left this world. As a matter of fact, Bresson dedicated "Father of the Nation" to Gandhi in 1948 during the latter's funeral.
Bresson's last years
From an early age, Henri Cartier-Bresson developed a passion for arts. During his youth, he was especially interested in painting. This interest in the fine arts led to him joining the Surrealist group. Later on, Bresson developed an interest in photography and initiated himself into the field. After a lifetime of photojournalism, Henri resigned himself exclusively to drawing and photographing landscapes and portraits. It has to be said that he also visited Russia and Germany. The French artist and journalist kept the flame of his passion for art alive until his last breath in 2004.