Henri Cartier Bresson: Siphnos, Greece, 1961
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s piece captures a little girl on the run. The first thing I noticed while looking at this photo is the girl. She is centered in the middle of the piece and is the only thing in movement. The shadows allow her to be slightly hard to spot. The black and white composition allows for the shadows to shine through. The door on the right side of the piece is contrasting the white buildings, because of its vertical texture of wood and the dark color. The shadows also give reflections of things. The stairs above the girl, are hard to tell if it is a shadow or if there are truly steps coming down from that wall. This is relevant today because of the sense of being on the go and capturing something at the perfect moment. Henri shows he had a “decisive” moment on when to take the shot, which was a good choice. It is also relevant because of the composition of the piece. The girl shows the small element of chaos in a world that looks okay.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. Siphons, Greece. 1961, www.artsy.net/artwork/henri-cartier-bresson-siphnos-greece-1970.
The play of light and shadow in the architecture makes such an interesting composition with steps leading to and from the running girl. Great choice!