Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-03-21)

8 21 March 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

W

hileHenriCartier-

Bressonis famousfor

havinga strongly

Euro-centricsensibility

andchoiceof subjectmatter– oneof his

mostfamouscollectionsis calledThe

Europeans– hehada greataffinityfor,

andexperienceof,EastAsia.

Chinain particularproveda richhunting

groundforHCBashehithisprimeasa

photographerduringsomeof themost

tumultuouseventsin theMiddle

Kingdom’shistory,includingthecivilwar

andCommunistvictory.Likemanyleft-

leaningEuropeanintellectualsof hisera,he

wasdrawnto thegreatMaoistexperimentto

HenriCartier-Bresson:China1948-1949,1958,Thames& Hudson, 288 pages,

978-0500545188,£50★★★★★

Henri Cartier-Bresson

It’sthedefinitiveaccountofoneof

theworld’sgreatestdocumentary

photographer’sadventuresinthe

MiddleKingdom,saysGeoffHarris

BOOK

China 1948-1949, 1958

Celebrations for the ninth anniversary of the People’s Republic, Beijing, 1 October 1958