Presented for the first time in English, this volume brings together
twelve notable interviews and conversations with Henri Cartier-Bresson
carried out between 1951 and 1998. While many of us are acquainted with
his images, there are so few texts available by Cartier-Bresson on his
photographic process. These verbal, primary accounts capture the spirit
of the master photographer and serve as a lasting document of his life
and work, which has inspired generations of photographers and artists.
Here, Cartier-Bresson speaks passionately, with metaphors and similes,
about the world and photography. A man of principles shaped by the
evolving eras of the twentieth century, his major influences included
Surrealism, European politics of the 1930s and '40s, the Second World
War, and his experiences with Magnum as cofounder and reporter. This
book illuminates his thoughts, personality, and reflections on a seminal
career.
In his own words: "[Photography] is a way of questioning the world and
questioning yourself at the same time. . . . It entails a discipline.
For me, freedom is a basic frame of reference, and inside that frame are
all the possible variations. Everything, everything, everything. But it
is within a frame. The important thing is the sense of limit. And
visually, it is the sense of form. Form is important. The structure of
things. The space."
