Credit: Henri Cartier-Bresson – Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932
Silver Gelatin Print
As soon as I saw this image I noticed that I have seen it before and I actually remember that it was from one of my previous photographing that we analyzed it as a class. I don’t remember what was said about it but I can see why it is so appealing. We notice that in the image we have a person that is in a running motion that was frozen in time. Not only do we see the shape of the man but we also see the texture of the person as a silhouette. This silhouette is acting simultaneously with its shadow, transforming a straightforward composition to a more impressionistic style. As viewers we become interested in the story behind this image, and the black and white misty affect add more to the overall dramatic effect that this image has.
This image is relevant to digital artists who like to capture moments in time that depict the busyness of everyday life. When I view this image, I relate it to digital artists by imagining this picture in color. This picture in my mind can be the streets of a busy modern day city with cars rushing by and people walking. The differences in both film and digital photography can be brought together by a common theme of life.
There is a lot of geometry in this photograph that can be described – the rooftops, the walking man and their reflections, the linear elements of the fence, ladder and circular piping.