Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/22

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Decisive Moment translated
From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 13:44:29 -0700

Perhaps the most vital aspect of "The Decisive Moment" as a concept and a
title is its divine ambiguity.  One should remember that Henri
Cartier-Bresson was among the very early Surrealists (...and surrealism is a
widely misinterpreted and misunderstood dogma) and was greatly influenced by
the surrealists' dialogues regarding what lay just beyond visible reality
and the reality of the conscious mind.  Indeed, there are analogues to
"decisive moment" photography in all media-- painting, writing, cinema, et
cetera.

Buzz Hausner

As I recall from the last time around on this the Surrealists did have a spin on
the idiom as used by HCB. And he new that outsiders would not be in touch with
ins and outs of the whole French surrealists routine. I think he thought is was
funny to be a bit opaque. He's got us all scrambling!
Mark Rabiner