2010.68.2
Behind Gare St. Lazare
Artist
Henri Cartier-Bresson
(Chanteloup (outside Paris), France, 8/22/1908 – 8/2/2004, l'Ile-sur-Sorgue, France)
Title
Behind Gare St. Lazare
Creation Date
1932 (printed 1960?)
Century
early-mid 20th century
Dimensions
13 15/16 in. x 11 in. (35.4 cm x 27.94 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Creation Place
Europe, France
Medium and Support
gelatin silver print
Credit Line
Gift of Isaac Lagnado, Class of 1971
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
2010.68.2
Behind Gare St. Lazare perfectly captures a “decisive moment,” the phrase Henri Cartier-Bresson coined to encapsulate his photographic philosophy. He stuck his camera’s lens through a narrow gap in a fence, recording by chance a man mid-leap over a puddle. The photograph holds this frozen silhouette in an uneasy balance. The mirror-like flooded yard creates an uncanny double of the scene. This coming together of disparate elements exemplifies “objective chance,” the surrealist concept of meaningful coincidences which had a great influence on Cartier-Bresson at this early stage of his career.