Berger John. 1972. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books.
The book by Berger (1972) is a monograph on the interpretation of visual arts from a viewer’s perspective. The book is targeted at a diverse population, including the general public as its primary audience, which is validated by its appeal to a common reader. However, the quality and scope of analysis and discussion contribute to the professional literature on visual arts. Within the context of the bibliography, this book will help reference the meaning of visual arts as a medium of transferring meanings and emotions. The book will be a reliable source of information on the laws of composition, perspective, color, and other essential elements of casual arts photography, being one of the most popular ones. Thus, it is essential to integrate the arguments and ideas from Berger’s books into the discussion about the photographs by Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck as a couple to ensure completeness of the art analysis.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1952. The Decisive Moment. New York: Simon and Schuster.
The book by Henri Cartier-Bresson is considered a primary source for the photography analysis as it represents the original views of the photographer on his works and the works of visual art in general. This book is a ground-forming source for the proposed study of his photography since it provides a first-hand perspective on the meaning of photography and its purpose from the creator’s point of view. The source’s target audience includes professional photographers and art critics. The expertise, originality, and professionalism of the author of the book serve as the basis for the reference’s credibility. Sartier-Bresson (1952) identifies such photography elements as the picture story, the subject, composition, color, and technique, which might be applied as a research analysis framework. Using this source of information for the essay, the researcher will be able to interpret the images accurately and within the contexts implied by the creators of the analyzed photographic works.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1984. “Martine Franck in Switzerland in 1984.”
This photograph is a primary source used for the analysis in the proposed essay. It is one of the two works by the photographer chosen for the essay, in which Cartier-Bresson captured the image of his wife Martine Franck on the background of Swiss landscapes with mountains in fog and clouds. The visual representation of the image contains an array of multifaceted characteristics that are typical for Cartier-Bresson’s works, including black-and-white color, meticulous composition, and attention to form. In the picture, Martine and a cow are facing the left side of the image representing the unity of both figures on the background of the misty mountains. Being an excellent example of exterior photography made by Cartier-Bresson, this photograph might serve as a valuable analysis material for claiming the transmission of the emotional implications and the feelings of love and admiration.
The choice of this photograph is validated by the combination of such elements as the unique composition, the subjects presented, and the content of the picture. Moreover, being placed in the context of the discussion of the works as the representations of the couple’s love to one another through their works, the image will have a significant contribution in support of the argument. The attention to Martine’s figure and the silent role of Cartier-Bresson as an observer and admirer convey the intimacy and affection between the spouses. Moreover, the picture might be used as an illustration of the reason for taking the photographs as memories of mutual experiences and travels.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1986. “Martine Franck in 1986.”
This primary source of information is a photograph of his wife, Martine Franck made by Cartier-Bresson in 1986. As an example of exterior photography, the selection of this particular image balances out the choice of the other two photographs made by Martine Franck. Indeed, the analysis of the work of the two artists will be based on the equal representation of their works, with two photographs of each, one is interior and one being exterior. The photograph of Martine Franck in 1986 is an image of Cartier-Bresson’s wife in a well-lit room in a chair beside a wooden table facing the window on the right. The camera captures the woman’s figure in stillness with the playfulness of light and shadows on her face, body, and background. The photograph is a valuable source for analysis since it is an example of Cartier-Bresson’s compositional works, with lines and shadows playing a decisive role in the overall visual appeal of the work.
The relevance of the image to the context and the premises of the proposed research paper is validated by the implied intimacy of the photograph delivered through the prevalence of black and the confinement of both the subject and the photographer in the same space. The discussion of the elements that contribute to the feelings of love and the desire to capture it in pictures as a reason for taking photos will be discussed. Therefore, the use of this image as a primary source is essential to the argument of the essay.
Conway, Richard. 2014. “Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck: Love Through a Lens.” Time.
As a secondary source, Conway’s (2014) article is another significant reference for constructing an analytical essay since it contains a discussion of the couple’s relationships through cameras. As a piece of journalistic writing, this article is targeted at the general public and people interested in photography. Despite the non-academic nature of this source, it provides a valuable insight into the understanding of the relationships between the two talented photographers. This article will allow for integrating an emotional and historical context into the critical analysis of works. Moreover, the article contains a series of photographs illustrating the intimacy and interaction between the two artists, which is central to the argument of the proposed essay. In such a manner, the use of this source in the essay will allow for using images and the journalist’s findings of the relationships between Cartier-Bresson and Franck, which will add to the scope of the photography analysis.
Eco, Umberto. 1982. “Critique of the Image.” In Thinking Photography, edited by Victor Burgin, 32-38, London: Macmillan.
This secondary source is a chapter from a collection of essays on the meaning of photography. It is a compilation of thoughts of a renowned philosopher and cultural critic, Umberto Eco. Eco’s (1982) paper’s target audience includes academics, philosophers, cultural critiques, artists, and photographers. Thus, this reference is relevant to the chosen topic of research. This source provides a theoretical basis and an analytical framework for interpreting images. The author’s approach to seeing images as complex phenomena representing reality via an array of codes will help in building a compelling analysis of the photographs. Umberto Eco’s explanation of the codes such as codes of recognition, transmission, tone and sensibility, rhetoric, and stylistic will be useful in integrating the multifaceted nature of the studied photographers’ works. Eco’s (1982) essay is a credible and reliable source of theoretical information that will contribute a significant amount of credibility and academic strength to the research paper.
Franck, Martine. 1971. “Henri Cartier-Bresson in Italy in 1971.”
This photograph is one of the two photographs selected to represent Martine Franck’s works, in which she portrayed her husband. The image was selected due to its content and meaning with regard to the two photographs selected for the analysis of Cartier-Bresson’s works. The pose in which the photographer is represented in the picture and the background around him are an interesting subject for analysis since the composition is different from the intuitive photographing employed by Cartier in his work. However, the staged positioning in this piece of art might be viewed as a representation of playfulness and intentionality, which illustrates the type of relationships between the spouses.
The interaction between the subject and the landscape in the picture will be discussed in conjunction with the photograph made by Cartier-Bresson called “Martine Franck in Switzerland in 1984” since both are exterior landscape photos. This image is an example of meticulous compositional work, with the lines and framing playing a significant role in the visual appeal and the structure of the image. Indeed, the picture is complex in geometrical lines, which have been vastly used by both Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck. In this regard, the analysis of this image in the context of the couple’s unity and interaction both in marriage and in the profession might be conducted to compare the stylistic approaches and the similarities in attention to geometry. Also, the image shows the intention of the couple to keep the photos as memories of their mutual travelling and professional experience.
Franck, Martine. 1992. “Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris, 1992.”
This image is a valuable primary source for the analysis of the artists’ works in the essay since it presents the perspective from which the wife sees her husband in the process of creating his work. The image was selected on the basis of its resemblance to an interior photograph made by Martine Franck to even out the representation of works of both artists. The complexity of composition based on the reflection in the mirror and the back view of Cartier-Bresson provide a basis for an in-depth philosophical discussion of the implications for the image. Moreover, the use of this photograph for the purposes of the essay is essential for making an argument on the rooted relevance of love and intimacy between Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck, which is observed through their portrayal of each other. The interplay between the light, composition, and geometrical lines might be a substantial basis for discussing the similarities and differences between the stylistic solutions of the two artists.
The image serves a two-fold purpose in the context of the essay’s argument since it demonstrates the work of both Cartier-Bresson and Franck simultaneously. Moreover, it might be insightful to analyze this particular image from the perspective of the vision of Cartier-Bresson of himself through the medium of the mirror and canvas, as well as the vision of him as a person and him as an artist through the lens of Franck’s camera. In addition, it validates the desire of the couple to save such photos as memories of their life and work together.
Scott, Clive. 2020. Street Photography: From Brassai to Cartier-Bresson. New York: Routledge.
This is a secondary source about street photography as a genre and the place of Cartier-Bresson in it. The book is a credible resource since it is comprised of academic and professional insights on the particularities of street photography, which is representative of Cartier-Bresson’s style in terms of composition, color, and the intuitive nature of Cartier-Bresson’s creative works. These elements outlined and discussed in the book will allow for making relevant references when analyzing Cartier-Bresson’s photographs of his wife. Moreover, since the book provides an academic discussion of street photography in general, it will be useful in interpreting Martine Franck’s photographs that represent her vision of her husband. This piece of literature will contribute to the discussion of photography as a means of communicating feelings and justifying the reasons why Cartier-Bresson and Franck take the pictures. Thus, Scott’s (2020) book will be an invaluable resource when compiling a well-developed analysis.
Smith, G. 2004. “Henri Cartier-Bresson 1908–2004.” History of Photography, 28 (4): 313–314.
This is a secondary source, an article from a professional academic journal on the history of photography. Its target audience includes history students, academics, photographers, and critics of photography since it introduces and broadly discusses the contribution of Cartier-Bresson into the history of photography as art. The source is a credible reference because the author’s claims are based on the observations, scholarly articles, and professional analysis of Cartier-Bresson’s works. The value of this article to the essay is in its contribution to the analysis of the works of both photographers as subjects for the proposed research paper. In particular, Smith (2004) discusses the work of Cartier-Bresson and integrates Martine Franck’s photograph of the artist at work on autoportrait since this autoportrait is one of the photographs chosen for analysis, the discussion of the context in which it was taken, and the implications of it for the community of photographers are invaluable.
Weber, Nicholas Fox. 2018. “Henri Cartier-Bresson at Age Ninety-Four: Turning the Lens Inward.” American Imago 75 (2): 153-178.
Unlike other sources selected for the analytical essay, Weber’s article does not introduce a discussion of photography but concentrates on Cartier-Bresson’s personality and his relationship with his wife. This is a secondary source of information based on the interviews and research, which contributes to the credibility and reliability of the information presented. The article will be used as a reference for the validation of the resemblance of the artists’ personalities in their work. More importantly, since Weber discusses the feelings between the spouses, their love and affection transmitted through their portrait of each other will be discussed with references to this source. Overall, the academic nature of the article will contribute to the scholarly basis of the proposed essay. The details and quotes from personal interviews with both Cartier-Bresson and his wife will have a significant value in light of the discussion of the meanings and implications of their works.
Works Cited
Berger John. 1972. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1952. The Decisive Moment. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1984. “Martine Franck in Switzerland in 1984.”
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. 1986. “Martine Franck in 1986.”
Conway, Richard. 2014. “Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck: Love Through a Lens.” Time.
Eco, Umberto. 1982. “Critique of the Image.” In Thinking Photography, edited by Victor Burgin, 32-38, London: Macmillan.
Franck, Martine. 1971. “Henri Cartier-Bresson in Italy in 1971.”
Franck, Martine. 1992. “Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris, 1992.”
Scott, Clive. 2020. Street Photography: From Brassai to Cartier-Bresson. New York: Routledge.
Smith, G. 2004. “Henri Cartier-Bresson 1908–2004.” History of Photography, 28 (4): 313–314.
Weber, Nicholas Fox. 2018. “Henri Cartier-Bresson at Age Ninety-Four: Turning the Lens Inward.” American Imago 75 (2): 153-178.