PEPE BAEZA Y HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON.(Artículo completo / Full article)

10 IDEAS SOBRE CARTIER-BRESSON / 10 IDEAS ABOUT CARTIER-BRESSON.

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON. PARIS 1932.

El martes 25, en el auditorio barcelonés de Caja Madrid y con la colaboración de la Fundación Colectánia, dentro del ciclo “Iconos. Maestros de la fotografía en imágenes” Pepe Baeza habló sobre Cartier-Bresson. La ponencia fue interesantísima y para resumirla de alguna manera me quedo con 10 frases de Baeza sobre el fotógrafo francés:
1) No hay otro fotógrafo tan reconocido, tanto por aficionados como por profesionales.
2) Esa importancia le convierte en una referencia, tanto para los que van a favor como para los que van en contra.
3) Trabaja sobre la realidad que usa para acceder a su propia expresión.
4) Adopta muchas influencias que convierte su manera de fotografiar en una síntesis de varias líneas visuales. El clasicismo de su estilo le hace acceder a un público muy amplio.
5) Cartier-Bresson no es el mejor fotógrafo construyendo historias, se centra en la búsqueda de la imagen única.

On Tuesday, 25, in the auditorium of Caja Madrid in Barcelona with the collaboration of the Foundation Colectánia, in the cycle "Icons. Masters of Photography in Pictures” Pepe Baeza talked about Cartier-Bresson. The presentation was very interesting and to summarize it in some way I'll stay with 10 sentences of Baeza on the French photographer:

1) There is no other photographer as recognized by both amateur and professional.

2) That makes it an important reference, both for those who are in favour and for those who are against.

3) He worked on reality and used it to access to his own expression.

4) He took many influences that converted his way to photograph in a visual synthesis of several lines. The classicism of his style made him accessible to a wide audience.

5) Cartier-Bresson is not the best photographer constructing stories; he focuses mainly on finding a powerful single image.

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON. JERUSALEM 1967

6) La fuerza de sus fotos únicas disipan la niebla de tanto exceso de imágenes fantasmagóricas que nos rodean.
7) La influencia del pintor George Braque le marca profundamente debido al libro que le regaló:”El zen en el arte caballeresco del tiro con arco”. Dicha obra encierra los principios aparentemente sencillos que él buscaba: presentarse, aguardar en el anonimato y desaparecer.
8) Buscaba la actitud libertaria como una guía que también se reflejara en su fotografía.
9) Su acción profesional fundamental: ser uno de los fundadores de la agencia Magnum.
10) Una buena foto se obtiene con la sintonía de ojo, corazón y mente.

6) The strength of their unique images dissipates the fog produced by the excess of ghostly images that surround us.
7) The influence of the painter George Braque marked him deeply when he gave him the book "Zen in the art of archery chivalry." The work entails the seemingly simple principles that he was looking for: to show, to wait and to disappear in the anonymity.
8) He looked for the libertarian attitude as a guide that is also reflected in his photography.
9) His basic professional action: to be one of the founders of the Magnum agency.
10) A good photograph is obtained by the tune of eye, heart and mind.

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON. ETON 1962

Y acabo con tres frases polémicas de Cartier-Bresson, pero muy en su línea, en la entrevista que Pepe le hizo en París en 1994: “La Fotografía no me interesa”, “La Fotografía en color es una payasada” y “El objetivo de 35 mm es como el ajo; enseguida huele”.

And I will finish with just three controversial Cartier-Bresson sentences, but very in his line, when Pepe interviewed him in Paris in 1994: "Photography does not interest me," "The Colour Photography is a clownish trick" and "The 35 mm lens is like garlic; soon smells. "

CARTIER-BRESSON: LA FOTO “DESAPARECIDA” / CARTIER-BRESSON : THE “MISSING” PHOTO (Post completo/Full post)

HENRY CARTIER-BRESSON, BERLIN 1962

Fue uno de los primeros libros que compré, cuando empezaba mi carrera fotográfica. El título era “El mundo de Henri Cartier-Bresson”; la cuidada impresión se había hecho en Lucerna, Suiza, y la edición española era de Lumen. Admiraba fascinado sus fotos:”A orillas del Marne 1938”, “El saltador sobre el agua, París 1932”, “Jerusalén 1967” tomada en el barrio ortodoxo de Mea Sharim…Pero tenía una favorita: unos niños jugando junto al muro de Berlin que Cartier-Bresson tomó en 1962. Dicha foto estaba impresa a página entera como una de las relevantes del libro.

It was one the first books that I bought when I was beginning my photographic career. The title was "The world of Henri Cartier-Bresson”; the careful printing was done in Lucerne, Switzerland, and the Spanish edition belonged to Lumen. Fascinated, I kept on admiring his pictures: "On the banks of the Marne 1938", “The jumper on the water, Paris 1932", "Jerusalem 1967" made in the Orthodox neighbourhood of Mea Sharim ... But I had a favourite one, five children playing besides the Berlin Wall, an image that Cartier-Bresson took in 1962. This photo was printed full-page as one of the importants in the book.

Pasaron los años y me volví a encontrar muchas veces con la obra de Cartier-Bresson: en París, en Londres, en la Piazza del Duomo de Milán, en Amsterdam, en las retrospectivas que se hicieron en Barcelona en el Museo Picasso y en Caixa Forum…Consulté todos los libros recopilatorios de su obra que se iban publicando, pero nunca volví a ver la foto de los niños jugando junto al muro de Berlín. Hasta le pregunté por ella a Ferdinando Scianna, el fotógrafo siciliano de Magnum que conocía muy bien a Cartier-Bresson, y que tiene un maravilloso libro sobre niños llamado "Mondo Bambino". “No lo sé” me respondió Ferdinando, “y a mí es una foto que también me gusta mucho”.
¿Cuál podría ser la razón? Volví a analizar la foto con detenimiento. Está tomada en el momento decisivo y encierra un fuerte simbolismo: la mayor de las niñas representa para mí la entereza, el consuelo, la protección…; todos los que encuentran refugio junto a ella están a salvo: la niña morena que la abraza con desespero, el niño que le da la mano y la rubita que corre hacia ella con expresión de alivio en su cara. Sólo la niña más pequeña, que permanece lejos de ella, con su patinete junto al muro, parece desamparada. La foto transmite una fuerte carga emocional.
¿Sería por eso? Considero a Henri Cartier-Bresson un fotógrafo frío, que no se implica con las personas fotografiadas. Su objetivo de 50 mm le mantiene a distancia y su rapidez y discrección hacen que pase como un soplo de aire junto a los fotografiados sin que estos parezcan darse por aludidos. Pero la foto de los niños junto al muro es diferente. De hecho no se parece en nada al estilo de Cartier-Bresson. Podría atribuirse a cualquiera de los otros dos fundadores de Magnum, Robert Capa o David Seymour “Chim” que adoraba a los niños. La distancia de la toma también es diferente, Cartier-Bresson está mucho más cerca de lo habitual.Y la óptica empleada no parece un 50mm; las paredes de la derecha están deformadas, se diría tomada con un 35 mm.

The years passed by and I had plenty of chances to meet again with the work of Cartier-Bresson: in Paris, in London, in the Piazza del Duomo in Milano, in Amsterdam, in the retrospectives that were made in Barcelona at the Picasso Museum, at Caixa Forum ...I reviewed all the books that kept showing retrospectives of his work, but never went back to see the photo of the children playing near the Berlin Wall. I even asked for the photo to Ferdinando Scianna, the Sicilian Magnum photographer, friend of Cartier-Bresson, and the author of a wonderful kids book called "Mondo Bambino". "I do not know," replied Ferdinando, "and is a picture that I also like very much." What could be the reason? I went back to analyze carefully the photo. It is taken at the decisive moment and holds a strong symbolism to me: the eldest girl represents kindness, comfort, protection ...All those who find refuge next to her are safe: the dark haired girl that hugs her with despair, the child who held her hand and the little blond girl running towards her with an expression of relief on her face. Only the smallest child, who stays away, with her scooter along the wall, seems helpless. The picture conveys a strong emotional charge. Would it be for that? I believe Henri Cartier-Bresson is a cold photographer, who was not involved with the people he photographed. His 50 mm lens gets him to a certain distance, and his speed and discretion makes him to pass like a breath of air near the people he photographed without them noticing him. But the picture of children next to the wall is different. In fact is unlike anything in the style of Cartier-Bresson. It even could be attributed to any of the other two founders of Magnum, Robert Capa or David Seymour "Chim" who loved children. The distance in this image is also different; Cartier-Bresson is much closer to what is habitual in him. And the lens used does not look like a 50mm. The walls of the right are deformed. It seems taken with a 35mm.

HENRY CARTIER-BRESSON, BERLIN 1962

En cambio, la otra foto que Cartier-Bresson hizo junto al muro en ese mismo viaje, y que ha seguido apareciendo, entra perfectamente dentro de los parámetros de su estilo: composición impecable y distancia adecuada, aunque no transmita la fuerte carga emocional de la imagen de los niños. ¿Será por todas esas razones que la otra foto ha desaparecido?

In contrast, another photo that Cartier-Bresson took, next to the Berlin wall in the same trip, and have been appearing regularly falls well within the parameters of his style: impeccable composition and suitable distance, but not convey the strong emotional charge of the image of children. Will it be for all those reasons that the other photo is gone?

FOTOS DESDE MI OTRA VENTANA / PICTURES FROM MY OTHER WINDOW ( CONTINUACIÓN / CONTINUATION )

Otra Fotonoticia, de un accidente grave, que tomé desde esa misma ventana en el año 1983, o sea 24 años antes. Tal vez alguien más pudo hacerla (no todo el mundo tenía cámaras entonces), pero había un factor determinante: yo tenía un laboratorio de blanco y negro en mi casa. Al cabo de una hora ya tenía media docena de copias 18x24 del accidente que llevé también a El Periódico y que publicaron al día siguiente. El listón estaba mucho más alto: tenía que ser un fotógrafo que estuviera allí y que tuviera un laboratorio en su casa. Hoy en día todo es mucho más sencillo y al alcance de cualquier aficionado.

Another News Photo, a serious accident, which I photographed from that same window in 1983, 24 years earlier. Maybe someone else could have done it (not everyone had cameras then), but there was a determining factor: I had a laboratory in black and white in my house. After an hour I had half a dozen 18x24 black and white prints that I also took to the same newspaper that published them the next day. This time the bar was much higher: it had to be a photographer who was there and who had a laboratory in his house. Today, everything is much simpler and affordable for any amateur photographer.

EASTERN EUROPE WOMEN

VERONIKA PRUDIKOVA

The idea came to me when I met Veronika. She was my guide in a press trip to the Check town of Karlovy Vary. I has always admired the Eastern Europe women will and effort to achieve what they wanted to, being a very good example the tennis players that dominated the professional world. Veronika was a perfect example: in spite of his 26 years, she spoke perfectly Spanish, English and German. She was studying at the International School of Commerce in Barcelona where she was paying all the expenses doing all kind of jobs; she was also a dancer-her parents have a Dance academy in Karlovy Vary-and sometimes she runs one and a half hour, non stop, along the Barcelona beaches. I started with her and found more Eastern Europe people living in Catalonia. I published the story in La Vanguardia Magazine titled “Eastern Europe Memories”. I wrote the profiles and Celtia Traviesas the generic text. Now in my blog I post the stories of 4 of these women.

VERONICA PRUDIKOVA, 26 YEARS OLD. CZECH REPUBLIC

“What surprises and, even bothers me, is when they ask me if I had difficulties in my country. They think all the Eastern Europe people are the same, while there are huge differences. I am from Karlovy Vary, a beautiful city plenty of thermal resorts and tourists. Mi family is well off and I never lacked anything. But I like to see the world and I went to live in Germany when I was 18. A few years later I went to Peñiscola to learn Spanish and to Barcelona to study at an International Business school. I also speak English and German and I’m starting to learn French. I paid my studies working as a part time model. Sometimes I’m lucky and I have a whole day session; sometimes I work as a congress hostess, many hours standing up and always smiling.

PHOTO SESSION AT BARCELONA'S FORUM

I share an apartment with other students- to rent a flat in Barcelona is terribly expensive-, and I love Barcelona night life, much better than in Karlovy Vary. I love the sea and the Mediterranean climate”.

GOING TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE SCHOOL

SELECTING THE RIGHT CLOTHES FOR THE FORUM PHOTO SESSION

ALMA STOJANOVIC, 39 YEARS OLD. BOSNIA

ALMA IN THE NPO WHERE SHE WORKS

“Everything started in April 1992. I’m a Muslim and my husband was half Serve and half Croatian. We lived in Samac, in the north of Bosnia. I worked as an economist and we had a one and a half years son, Nebojsa. The tanks came at night, though we all had promised that we would not let happen here the same things than in the rest of Yugoslavia. I stayed till May 17 when I was forced to leave together with my son. My husband, Zeljko died the same day while he was defending the city, although I didn’t know till six months later. We lived during one year in a refugee’s camp in Istria, in the north of Croatia, and later on in Germany. In Istria I met Carles, an NPO volunteer. We fell in love and in 1996 I came to Spain and we got married. In 2000 Damir was born. Now I work as accountant in a small NPO, Setem. Our love story vanished and we divorced. All the things that happened to me made me stronger and I learnt to value highly all the things I have now. The Spanish don’t value at all what they have, but they’ll have to learn about it.

AT HOME WITH HER TWO SONS

CLAUDIA CICUR, 30 YEARS OLD. RUMANIA

CLAUDIA IN HER OFFICE

“I always have been in love with Barcelona. I knew the city through guides and TV programs. I come from a middle class family, I have 2 sisters and we lived in Transylvania. The end of Communism made a few very rich and brought the poverty to the rest. I arrived to Sabadell, in Catalonia (Spain), in 1999. My older sisters were already there and the beginning was really difficult. I had accountant studies but I was forced to work taken care of an old woman, in a bakery and, after that, cleaning and ironing in private houses. After a few years, mi situation started to get better. After one month I could understand perfectly all the Spanish words-after all, Rumanian is a Latin language-.

I met the man that is my husband now, Jonathan, in a Rumanian party. After a while I started to work with him, in a building finance company. I already speak Catalan and I employ all my free time, as a Jehovah’s Witness. I’m very happy here and my horizon is wide open.

CLAUDIA WITH A RUMANIAN FOLKLORE GROUP

MARIJA TATARCHUC, 60 YEARS OLD. UKRAINE

MARIJA CELEBRATING THE ORTODOX NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH HER FAMILY

“I am from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, in the Carpats. I have no studies and I worked in very different places. After the Soviet Union fall and the Ukraine independence, the situation worsened very much. In 1999 we decided, together with my 2 sons and their families, that I’d emigrate to try to help then. I was alone because my husband had already died. I paid 1.500 dollars to a travel agency that organised a trip and that promised me a job and the papers in Spain. But it was a fake. The responsible, an Armenian, kept us, 28 persons, in a 3 rooms flat during 2 months. We were not allowed to go out because he told us, that without knowing the language and without papers, the police would extradite us. After 2 months, I run out of money, and the Armenian through me out to the street. I could survive thanks to Church nuns that gave me shelter.

MARUJA IN ONE OF THE HOUSES SHE WORKS

They got me a job cleaning a house and after one year came my son Ivan, her wife Anna and my nieces Basil and Ivanna. Now ,I get up, every working day, at 6 o’clock to clean one office from 7, 30 h to 9, 30 h; after that I work in a house from 10,30 h till 14,30 h ; then I go to another one where I work from 15,30 till 18,30 and, finally, I clean another office from 19 h to 22 h. With the money I am sending to my daughter, we are building a house in my village where I hope to come back some day.

JOAN FONTCUBERTA

El fotógrafo catalán sigue fiel a su discurso de que la fotografía puede ser manipulada y llevar a engaño, teoría ampliamente desarrollada en su libro “El beso de Judas”. Muy controvertido en sus inicios, la llegada de la Era Digital ha hecho que sus teorías no estén ya tan alejadas de la realidad.
Imaginación desbordada, algunos toques de “gamberrismo lúcido” según una acertada expresión de la redactora de El Periódico de Catalunya Gemma Tramullas y, también, trabajos de gran belleza plástica.

The Catalan photographer remains faithful to his discourse defending that Photography can be manipulated and trick the viewers, a theory he explains thoroughly in his book “Judah's kiss”. Fontcuberta was a very controversial artist in his beginnings but the arrival of Digital Era has closed considerably the distance between his theories and reality.

Overflowing imagination, a bit of “lucid loutishness”, in a bright El Periodico’s journalist Gemma Tramullas sentence and, also, some works of a great plasticity and beauty.

El mejor ejemplo del humor socarrón y creativo de Joan Fontcuberta lo podemos encontrar en la figura del payaso, dentro de la serie de Googlegramas, construido mediante las miles de imágenes que un programa informático baja de Internet. En este caso, todas las fotos pertenecen… ¡Al Congreso de Diputados!
En resumen, una exposición indispensable.

The best example of the creative and ironical Joan Fontcuberta’s sense of humour can be found in the clown image, in the Googlegrams series, formed by thousands of Internet images arranged with an informatic program help. In this case, all the photographs belong to…Spain Congress of Deputies!

In a few words, an exhibition not to miss.