Cartier-Bresson Image Critique

Image 1

USA. 1947. New York City. Manhattan. Downtown.

This photo immediately spoke to me as I saw it. I think that it is very touching. We see a man sitting on the ground alone between two buildings with only a cat for company. I also like this photo because of the different shadows in it, the perspective, and also the meaning in this picture the photographer tried to show us. It makes me think about my own experience with loneliness and how I just wished to have some company when I was going through that time. Plus, if we look at the facade of the building that is slightly on the left side we can read in clear white letters the end of the word "company". I am not sure if the photographer was aware of it at the moment he shot the picture, but I think it sums up the topic of the photo pretty well. 

In this photo, the photographer demonstrated a good use of perspective. He is all the way at the end of the narrow alleyway shooting the picture of the mysterious man. It creates a good perspective because it seems like the walls of the two buildings are almost joining together at the end of the path. Since the walls are straight and that there are also horizontal lines on the sides of the walls and the alleyway, it creates an even stronger effect of perspective. It looks like all these lines are directing to one point: the silhouette of the man and the cat, who are the focal point. Their silhouette is emphasized by the light grey road going in the horizontal way behind them. The light is coming from behind them while they are sitting in a dark alleyway, which creates these very dark silhouettes. 

To me, this photo speaks a lot of emotions. The man is sitting alone in a dark alley, isolated. It could be a homeless man or simply a man suffering from the loneliness and sadness that everyone can experience at some point, even in a huge place like New York City. However, what appears to be a stray cat is sitting in front of him, giving the man some company. Since the picture is in black and white it also reinforces the sad and lonely mood of it. I could think of this photo as a message of supporting each other. The man is in a state of loneliness and the stray cat probably is too. In the photo it looks like they are looking at each other and it feels like they can understand how the other feels. I think it is a beautiful symbolism. We may look different but we are not that different.

Image 2

 Spain. 1933. Valencia.