Assignment: Image Research & Critique - Henri Cartier Bresson

1.

Photo taken in SPAIN. Andalucia. Seville. 1933. By Henri Cartier-Bresson, 
image borrowed from Magnum Photo Archive.

One of the reasons I chose this image is because of its uniqueness with the way it has been framed. I think the scene of children living in a different country was something that captured my eye. This photograph depicts a time during the civil war and despite that the children are found playing around. They seem to be playing and enjoying themselves. I also see that there is an injured kid on crutches who seems to be walking away from the scene and everyone else is paying attention to something else. I wonder how the kid was injured, and why people aren't paying attention to this kid. 

The composition really helps the viewer see the focal point which is the kid on crutches. The frame is dull, but it takes up a good amount of space and completed the effect, which helps narrow down the attention to the kids and the depth of the photo brings out the kid with crutches but also the darker clothing which helps add to that effect. The is a variety of textures and tones help deepen the significance of the environment. The crumbs on the floor compare to the jagged shaped holes in the walls. The extended depth of field provides the image to be focused even at the background. It helped capture all the children in the scene without compromising the children in the back. The composition of this image ensures the viewer eyes move and the focal point still is the kid with the crutches.

The faces of the children show that they are all focused and awestruck towards the kids tackling each other. The kids are not paying attention to the sad kid that is walking away because they are distracted. The walls are white or light in color compared to the children that are darker and the focus is mainly onto their faces and their feet are almost buried in the rubble, which means the feet aren't as symbolic as their faces.

     

2.

Photo taken in SPAIN. Valencia. 1933. Inside the sliding doors of the bullfight arena. By Henri Cartier-Bresson, image borrowed from Magnum Photo Archive.

This photo is also shot in Spain like the previous one and I chose this image because it was quite intriguing and mysterious. This image seems like a very generic location that could be located anywhere in the world but the significance lies in the situation this picture was taken. 

The intriguing thing about this picture is that this image seems to capture a private moment since there are only 2 people present in the picture. The focal point in the picture is the white circle in the man's eye. The photo shows a low depth of field and the man in front is very clear. The frame is split vertically into 2 separate ratios making 1/3 on the image to the left and 2/3 of the image to the right.  There are horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, and textures that frame the man which makes the eyes move along the image. There is a 3 ring semi-circle which is in 3 different colors and it being cut off by the window leads to the focal point. 

The man in the front seems to be of importance, as the man is wearing a hat that suggests he works in law enforcement or a soldier or commander. He also seems like he is tired of his job but is keeping watch on something. The man in the background ended up being blurry because he is not focused. He is wearing lighter colored clothes than the guy in the front which means he does not share similarities with the man in front. I think this means that the man in the background is not an important person but a bystander, a person who under the man in front, or a prisoner, A lot of things can be interpreted from this photograph. I think the white light could mean that the man is in danger, or maybe it's just a trick of the light that helped bring more attention to the man.