HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON

 HenriCartier-Bresson was more than just a photojournalist; he was an artist who usedthe camera lens to catch the surreal in everyday situations. He was searchingfor essences rather than just simply documenting facts. Born in August 1908 ina small town near Paris, he first studied painting in the 1920s with Andre Lhote, an artist and criticassociated with the avant-garde Cubist movement. Lhote implanted in hima lifelong interest in painting, helping him gain a meticulous eye for designand proportion that later became evident in his photography.

In1929, Cartier-Bresson went to Cambridge to study literature and painting. He then left for Africa in1931 and spent a year there as a hunter. In the bush with a miniature camera,he took his first photographs and came to realize the possibilities of smallcameras, particularly their portability and ease of use.

In 2003, Cartier-Bressonofficially set up a foundation in Montparnasse, Paris to house his originalprints, contact sheets, films, and documents. Italso provided for exhibition space for upand-coming photographers. He died onAugust 3, 2004 at the age of 95.