Re: [Leica] Totally false?? HCB and l'instant décisif

[Dominique PELLISSIER <pelliss@droit-eco.univ-nancy2.fr>]

>

>>I wrote :

>> I can't believe the story of the epileptic man.That was a poxy thing
to do.Have you the reference of Brinnin's text ? 

>

Eric wrote :

>Actually, I remember reading about this collaboration between HCB and
the writer in a magazine from the 80s called "Camera Arts." At least I
think that's where I read it. His view of HCB was that he was aggressive
and didn't care much for what people thought. That he was a bit rude,
even. So I don't find it hard to believe, but it is disappointing I
guess. We like to think well of

>people whose work we respect.

>

>Eric Welch


#################

That story is for me significant because it leads me to a reappraisal of
HCB's and Doisneau's work. 

They are both of the same generation (born respectively in 1908 and
1913). But the social environment is quite different : high society for
HCB and popular world for D. 

Geometric inspiration for HCB ; humanitarian inspiration for D.

When I see the HCB's picture entitled <italic>la Seine</italic> (Cahiers
de la photographie, n° 18, p.138), I understand why people (a family of
blue collars )don't look at the camera. HCB is not interested by people,
but by a geometric picture in which there are people.Doisneau, in the
same situation would made a pix with people playing a comedy in front of
the camera : we are in 1938, at the end of the <italic>front populaire
</italic>(Left government). Blue collars, for the first time, can take 15
days off.For the french high society, it's an horror : blue collars can
go outside the suburbs.HCB documents this <italic>instant
décisif</italic>.But it's a Right vision.


Dominique Pellissier