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An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson
"No one in the twentieth century created more instantly recognizable images than Cartier-Bresson."— Denver Post
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was perhaps the finest and most influential image maker of the twentieth century, and his portraits are among his best-known work. Over a fifty year period, he photographed some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as ordinary people, chosen as subjects because of their striking and unusual features.
In 2003, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which was created to provide a permanent home for his collected works, opened in Paris. This book is published to coincide with the first exhibition at the Fondation that is drawn entirely from those archives, and it features both well-known images and previously unpublished portraits.
Each portrait has been chosen because it perfectly embodies Cartier-Bresson's description of what he was attempting to communicate in his "I'm seeking above all an inner silence. I am trying to translate the personality and not an expression." The portraits reproduced here—discreet, without artifice, their subjects frozen in time—confirm once more the singular gift of Cartier-Bresson who instinctively knew in which revealing fraction of a second to click the shutter. 100 illustrations.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was perhaps the finest and most influential image maker of the twentieth century, and his portraits are among his best-known work. Over a fifty year period, he photographed some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as ordinary people, chosen as subjects because of their striking and unusual features.
In 2003, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which was created to provide a permanent home for his collected works, opened in Paris. This book is published to coincide with the first exhibition at the Fondation that is drawn entirely from those archives, and it features both well-known images and previously unpublished portraits.
Each portrait has been chosen because it perfectly embodies Cartier-Bresson's description of what he was attempting to communicate in his "I'm seeking above all an inner silence. I am trying to translate the personality and not an expression." The portraits reproduced here—discreet, without artifice, their subjects frozen in time—confirm once more the singular gift of Cartier-Bresson who instinctively knew in which revealing fraction of a second to click the shutter. 100 illustrations.
- GenresPhotographyArtNonfiction
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Henri Cartier-Bresson
180 books227 followersHenri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography. He helped develop the "street photography" or "real life reportage" style that has influenced generations of photographers that followed.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 9, 2024
Memorable images by a Master Photographer.
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June 7, 2024one of the better decisions I made this year was to get myself a library card in a neighboring county-a bigger, better system than the county I currently live in. the fee was nominal and the card has paid for itself ten times over in photography books alone. without it, I may not have stumbled onto this gem of a book- select portraits by cartier-bresson. accompanying text is insightful (albeit a bit stiff) and each photograph is one to sit with, to revisit again and again.
November 19, 2018
Talvolta posano lo sguardo sull'obiettivo, spesso lo evitano, quasi per fuggire: espressioni assorte e meditative, volti che scrutano al di là dell'attimo in cui vengono colti, rincorrendo pensieri imperscrutabili.
"Un silenzio interiore" nei ritratti di Bresson reso ancora più introspettivo nell'atmosfera ovattata del bianco e nero, nella rinuncia al rumore dei colori, per lasciare spazio solo alla gestualità dei corpi. Personaggi noti, che si spogliano dell'aurea della fama che li circonda per mostrare solo la semplice essenza dell'essere umano.
Ezra Pound
Samuel Beckett
François Mauriac
"Un silenzio interiore" nei ritratti di Bresson reso ancora più introspettivo nell'atmosfera ovattata del bianco e nero, nella rinuncia al rumore dei colori, per lasciare spazio solo alla gestualità dei corpi. Personaggi noti, che si spogliano dell'aurea della fama che li circonda per mostrare solo la semplice essenza dell'essere umano.
Ezra Pound
Samuel Beckett
François Mauriac
July 10, 2010
Sharing the Inner Silence
Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908 - 2004, was a master artist with the camera, a French photojournalist (often referred to as the father of photojournalism) whose ability to find the essence of complex personalities and intriguing locations remains unmatched. This beautifully produced volume AN INNER SILENCE: THE PORTRAITS OF HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON offers ninety five examples of his graft, each in tritone black and white, images that once encountered remain as the definitive view of the captured subject in the reader's mind. And while Cartier-Bresson is perhaps most famous for his more journalistic images, this collection of portraits reminds us of just how sensitive was his eye behind the viewfinder of this Leica camera.
The quality of reproduction of the photographs in this book is truly exquisite and the accompanying information in the essays offers insights to the man and his art. As for content the images include portraits of world leaders in politics (Martin Luther King et al), literature (Jean Genet, William Faulkner et al), philosophers (Albert Camus et al), painters (Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse et al), and celebrities (Marilyn Monroe among many others), as well as portraits of peoples as places (his image of the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw is particularly arresting).
Though there are many collections of the art of Cartier-Bresson, this book in its curated content and presentation is surely one of the finest examples of what the genius was all about.
Grady Harp
Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908 - 2004, was a master artist with the camera, a French photojournalist (often referred to as the father of photojournalism) whose ability to find the essence of complex personalities and intriguing locations remains unmatched. This beautifully produced volume AN INNER SILENCE: THE PORTRAITS OF HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON offers ninety five examples of his graft, each in tritone black and white, images that once encountered remain as the definitive view of the captured subject in the reader's mind. And while Cartier-Bresson is perhaps most famous for his more journalistic images, this collection of portraits reminds us of just how sensitive was his eye behind the viewfinder of this Leica camera.
The quality of reproduction of the photographs in this book is truly exquisite and the accompanying information in the essays offers insights to the man and his art. As for content the images include portraits of world leaders in politics (Martin Luther King et al), literature (Jean Genet, William Faulkner et al), philosophers (Albert Camus et al), painters (Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse et al), and celebrities (Marilyn Monroe among many others), as well as portraits of peoples as places (his image of the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw is particularly arresting).
Though there are many collections of the art of Cartier-Bresson, this book in its curated content and presentation is surely one of the finest examples of what the genius was all about.
Grady Harp
June 1, 2014
I'm among the billions of fans of HCB's street photography - really his creation of an entirely new artistic genre. But at the core I'm more of a people photographer than a street guy, as much as I love the rush of shooting street. This collection of Henri's portraits - what's the best term here? - shots captured in relaxed moments? - environmental unposed portraits? - PHOTOS is breathtaking. HCB captures that moment of inner silence in his subjects that he famously (as reflected in the book's introduction) could never find in himself when somebody else was shooting him.
Favorite from this time through the collection: Ezra Pound - intensity doesn't begin to describe this image. Martin Luther King at work at his desk. Jean-Marie Le Clezio and wife. Jean-Paul Sartre and Fernand Pouillon. Julien Gracq (in perhaps the only eye-contact moment in the collection). Joan Miró, a street scene in Warsaw, Marc Chagall, Carl Jung, Samuel Beckett.
Another reviewer here decried the fact that HCB couldn't get any of his subjects to lock eyes and smile. But what these images show is something far more profound about their inner character. It's gorgeous and inspiring work.
Favorite from this time through the collection: Ezra Pound - intensity doesn't begin to describe this image. Martin Luther King at work at his desk. Jean-Marie Le Clezio and wife. Jean-Paul Sartre and Fernand Pouillon. Julien Gracq (in perhaps the only eye-contact moment in the collection). Joan Miró, a street scene in Warsaw, Marc Chagall, Carl Jung, Samuel Beckett.
Another reviewer here decried the fact that HCB couldn't get any of his subjects to lock eyes and smile. But what these images show is something far more profound about their inner character. It's gorgeous and inspiring work.
May 3, 2019
I am getting rid of books now, in preparation for death one day. Many of them are books of photographs. People photographs (I despise the word portrait, especially for this book) have always been my greatest interest. I don't own this book, but I will buy it, because it deserves a place in a tiny canon. Not every photograph reaches out and grabs me by the balls, of course, but most of them do. And those that do speak clearly about the person: strong, diffident, weak, arrogant, powerful, gentle, sad, kind, and many more subtle characteristics. Cartier-Bresson usually took fifteen or twenty minutes with his subjects. Sometimes, as with Matisse and Ezra Pound, they never spoke a word to each other, and his little Leica just clicked faintly away, as Truman Capote remembered.
I keep opening the book, neurotically, to see what else the pictures are saying. To investigate Colette's expression again, or Marilyn Monroe's décolletage. I am honored and glad that no one ever asked me to write the words for a book of architecture or photographs. I never would, because they are always pathetic.
I keep opening the book, neurotically, to see what else the pictures are saying. To investigate Colette's expression again, or Marilyn Monroe's décolletage. I am honored and glad that no one ever asked me to write the words for a book of architecture or photographs. I never would, because they are always pathetic.
August 6, 2023
A meditative book of photographs that capture “the inner silence” of its numerous famous subjects such as Robert Opeinheimer, Martin Luther King Jr, Arthur Miller, Carl Jung, Marilyn Monroe (the most natural photo of her you’ll ever see), and many others.
December 23, 2017
I'm more familiar of this photographers informal candid street photography and I like that better also, but here are memorable images here too.
June 23, 2021
Fantastic black-and-white portraits, many of famous artists and writers (mostly French).
March 2, 2009
As I've been concentrating more and more heavily on my own photography, I've been looking at a lot of photography books which is taking up a lot of the time I would normally be reading some fantastic piece of fiction.
of everything I've been looking at, these are some of my favorites so far. Whether you know it or not, you're probably familiar with HCB's work on some level. He's one of the first photojournalists, and shot portraiture for nearly every important world figure, celebrity, and creative of the mid 20th century, and his work is simple genius. with an eye toward strong geometric shapes, a perfect sense of framing, and a certain flair for whimsy, HCB seems to have written the book on what makes an effective portrait.
I've studied and studied these shots over the last several days, and every time I look at one, there is a new layer to unlock, a new way to look at. The title of the book is perfect. These images really do capture a certain inner silence of their subjects. A quiet moment, as if there was a brief lull in a conversation among friends, and an in that moment, he lifted his camera and took a shot.
I have a hard time expressing in words what makes these photos so stunning. What I keep thinking about is looking at pictures of people you know. Often, you'll see a picture of someone you know, and you'll fall in love with that photo, because something about that photo perfactly captures the essence of the subject. It's their entire personality caught on film, and it makes you laugh, or feel some emotion, and it becomes a photo you love. People who don't know the subject may never look twice at that photo, because they have no reference for what makes the photo so meaningful. The portraits in this book, make me feel that way about their subjects. Whether it's a portrait of Joan Miró, Marilyn Monroe, or an unkown young woman on the streets of Cracow, I can see that Bresson captured the essence of who they are, and I can recognize it instantly, even though I've never met them. And that is what makes him a master and the rest of us miserable hacks.
of everything I've been looking at, these are some of my favorites so far. Whether you know it or not, you're probably familiar with HCB's work on some level. He's one of the first photojournalists, and shot portraiture for nearly every important world figure, celebrity, and creative of the mid 20th century, and his work is simple genius. with an eye toward strong geometric shapes, a perfect sense of framing, and a certain flair for whimsy, HCB seems to have written the book on what makes an effective portrait.
I've studied and studied these shots over the last several days, and every time I look at one, there is a new layer to unlock, a new way to look at. The title of the book is perfect. These images really do capture a certain inner silence of their subjects. A quiet moment, as if there was a brief lull in a conversation among friends, and an in that moment, he lifted his camera and took a shot.
I have a hard time expressing in words what makes these photos so stunning. What I keep thinking about is looking at pictures of people you know. Often, you'll see a picture of someone you know, and you'll fall in love with that photo, because something about that photo perfactly captures the essence of the subject. It's their entire personality caught on film, and it makes you laugh, or feel some emotion, and it becomes a photo you love. People who don't know the subject may never look twice at that photo, because they have no reference for what makes the photo so meaningful. The portraits in this book, make me feel that way about their subjects. Whether it's a portrait of Joan Miró, Marilyn Monroe, or an unkown young woman on the streets of Cracow, I can see that Bresson captured the essence of who they are, and I can recognize it instantly, even though I've never met them. And that is what makes him a master and the rest of us miserable hacks.
September 3, 2025
2nd Proper read of this book and it’s immediately risen in my estimation (went from a 4 to a 5 star now lol) something about this read just touched a spot and even helped with ideas I had had for a while. The names of the portraits in this book 😍 plus it’s kinda cool to each time you come back be more aware of more and more artists captured here (I guess just highlights you’re knowledge expanding - plus people I (a year ago) would have skimmed past I legit now get giddy seeing them and just more than anything makes me in complete awe of Bresson’s ability to even meet them … Matisse, Camus, Madame ISABELLE HUPPERT 🥺🤓🫂❤️, Piaf, Jung, MLK, Christian Dior, Jeanne Lanvin, Rossellini, Oppenheimer, Barthes, Sartre, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Susan Sontag, Capote, Marilyn Monroe, COCO BLOOMING CHANEL! Visconti! Like seriously … how lucky? Most people don’t meet anybody as talented or as iconic as that once and this guy casually has portraits of them all 😭😭😭 I’m so jealous ffs. Can see when I come back to it that list just expanding as I delve into the arts more and more and more! (It’s an endless thing lol).
I do feel this read touched my heart more as the reasoning behind why he does what he does and it meaning more than just a portrait aka the title “An Inner Silence” at 3 in the morning reading it just hit home 🥺🥺🥺. Again has you looking at all the pictures you take of others and even videos and how much of that candidness says so much about you aswell as the other person. Loved it. Really really loved it.
Alsoooo this read was soundtracked by Bebel Gilberto - Close Your Eyes (BEAUTIFUL SONG OFF A BEAUTIFUL ALBUM (Tanto Tempo … THANK YOU CLOSER (‘04))) - legit listening to it bopping as I write this looool 😭😭😭🤝🏾
It’s something I know I’ll continue to revisit in the future as it leaves a mark on you and sticks in your mind in the aftermath and just makes you want to take in the world around you way more.
Alsoooo imma need to tap into more of his Sir Cartier-Bresson’s Work ASAP!’ (And btw with the way I even happened to get this book does make all its put me onto much better and funnier 😭😭🤣🤣🤣 … Shout out Hubbub Milk!)
I do feel this read touched my heart more as the reasoning behind why he does what he does and it meaning more than just a portrait aka the title “An Inner Silence” at 3 in the morning reading it just hit home 🥺🥺🥺. Again has you looking at all the pictures you take of others and even videos and how much of that candidness says so much about you aswell as the other person. Loved it. Really really loved it.
Alsoooo this read was soundtracked by Bebel Gilberto - Close Your Eyes (BEAUTIFUL SONG OFF A BEAUTIFUL ALBUM (Tanto Tempo … THANK YOU CLOSER (‘04))) - legit listening to it bopping as I write this looool 😭😭😭🤝🏾
It’s something I know I’ll continue to revisit in the future as it leaves a mark on you and sticks in your mind in the aftermath and just makes you want to take in the world around you way more.
Alsoooo imma need to tap into more of his Sir Cartier-Bresson’s Work ASAP!’ (And btw with the way I even happened to get this book does make all its put me onto much better and funnier 😭😭🤣🤣🤣 … Shout out Hubbub Milk!)
Want to read
December 23, 2015
(private eye?)
(Henry Matisse)
December 8, 2009
I blogged about this book here: http://thedailyflashkube.com/2009/12/...
June 15, 2012
This is a collection of photography by Henri Cartier-Bresson. He's probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite, photographers.
December 7, 2013
Someone recommended this to me after seeing a similar style in my photography and Bresson's photography. I enjoyed it.
November 23, 2015
for the silence of those who are absent..
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews