Tête á Tête

By E.H. Gombrich and Henri Cartier-Bresson

Book Overview

Henri Cartier-Bresson's Tête à Tête contains the photographer's portraits of some of the most potent icons of the latter half of the 20th century. The book is understated, yet powerful and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821225626
• ISBN13: 9780821225622
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Bulfinch Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.8" x 12.1"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Slow Burner

I purchased the hardcover version of this book about 8 years ago, when i was younger. I was quite impressed with the work of HCB, but now many years later whenever i open the book, i always find something i didnt really see before. Maturity helps to appreciate the masterful decisions that HCB made in those hours of subject selection and seconds of exposure. Every viewing I realise the profoundness of the people he photographs, and the delicate and honest way in which he portrays them.

Just a classic

Some of the definitive portraits of personalities have been made by Cartier-Bresson. Sartre, Camus, Guevara and Marilyn Monroe are here, in a sensitive work. Bresson's "decisive moment" concept also works to a kind of photography that is usually related to posed and static pictures. He goes one step beyond a face's register.

A true portraitist

C-B's portraits challenge his journalistic work with their grace and power. I almost find them to be more historically important than his other work for two reasons- 1) his style photojournalism is artful but perhaps less documentative than it could be. 2) The significant style with which he captures his often famous portaitees encapsulates their entire being- they are often the first image to come to mind when one thinks of the sitter, they are simply extremely telling and powerful pictures.

HCB is the subtle master of moment and composition.

This is a very nice collection of portraits by HCB, showing the master's uncanny touch at framing and capturing the moment. This book is a cumulative experience - look at all the photos in the book - they look deceptively simple, but you'll end up wondering how he did it. The reproduction is very nice, but I found the sepia-like tone slightly annoying, but easy to ignore.