Rue Mouffetard

About the Art

French photographer Cartier-Bresson is thought of as the progenitor of street photography and the candid image. Published in 1952, his major photobook was titled The Decisive Moment, referring to constant observation and anticipation of the instant when compositional elements before you come together—and whether or not you were present-of-mind to take the shot. In his book he wrote:

“In photography there is a new kind of plasticity, the product of instantaneous lines made by movements of the subject. We work in unison with movement as though it were a presentiment of the way in which life itself unfolds. But inside movement there is one moment at which the elements in motion are in balance. Photography must seize upon this moment and hold immobile the equilibrium of it.”

Cartier-Bresson’s photographs have the feeling of fleeting moments, movement and excitement captured by an expert eye and intuitive photographer.

FEATURED IMAGE
Henri Cartier-Bresson (French, 1908–2004), Rue Mouffetard, 1954, gelatin silver print, 14 x 9 1/2 inches. Gift of Kathleen Peoples, 2025.45