Comparing and contrasting the images between Henri Cartier Bresson
I decided to choose the first set which is comparing and contrasting the images between Henri Cartier Bresson; Behind the Gare 1932 and Shomei Tomatsu, A wristwatch Dug Up approximately 0.7km from the Epicenter of the Explosion, Nagasaki, 1961. Behind the Gare is the most iconic photograph in the 1930s. Even though the photographers of that time did not use any artificial lighting in their photographs, the black and white picture is impressive. When Cartier noticed the lovely architectural building which was hardly visible and was in the background of a pool of rainwater, he felt the need to take a picture. However, he needed a subject to take a photograph. After waiting for some time, a busy businessman approached. He seemed to head for the water and onto the ladder, which was broken. He took the photo as the man was trying to jump from the ladder and back to the water. The picture showed a disparity between the man in a hurry and the stillness of the water.
The subject matter relates to the social life of many people. As the man tries to jump he wonders if he will make it or splash into the pool of rainwater. The man, however, doesn’t know how deep the water is. This represents the leap of faith for uncertainties in life. It could also stand as an attempt to escape from dismal appearance and his life. Cartier Bresson always walked in the streets as he tried to snap scenes which convinced reality. However, he mainly wanted to capture the essence of the phenomenon using a single image. By capturing the man as he tried to jump off the broken ladder raises multiple questions to the viewers of what happens next and also the meaning of the photograph. Cartier has typically produced other similar works which have captured the little human moments. An illustration of the many works he has done is the shots of people in real life where the photo made him the icon of street photography. Cartier captures situations in real life which accredit him for being good in both photojournalism and street photography.
The second image is of the wristwatch. The subject matter in this photo is a watch which shows that the time 11.02. The picture was taken on the 9th of August, 1945. It is a black and white picture which was taken during the time of the explosion in Nagasaki. The watch stopped when the bomb exploded at 4.02 pm. Shomei Tomatsu took the picture afterwards as it was one of the remainders during the postcolonial war. One of the most influential and vital photographers in Japan during the postwar time in the Second World War. The watch is said to drop off from a man. It is among the items which survived during the destruction of the atomic bomb. The picture of the watch writs relates to the effects of the bomb during the Second World War. Many lives were destroyed, lots of property burnt to ashes; however, the watch remained intact and not even the front piece of glass got broken. The watch remains frozen at the exact moment the bomb exploded.
By Shomei taking a picture of the wristwatch, his primary objective was to establish a way of discovering subjects that were about the past. Most of the black and white pictures he took were to remember the war, which negatively impacted their Nagasaki. Through the pictures, he took it formed a piece of evidence that ‘it was from the ruins of war that Japan got reborn’. He further strengthened his latter statement by saying that it was only from the ruins that they could make a fresh start. Shomei has taken several pictures during the postwar that earned him fame in Japan. Despite being a self-taught photographer, he gets noted for his diverse and compound nature in some of his works. Most of his works take a unique path in exploring changes in society after the precolonial war. He focuses on the journey of Japan and how it has developed since the precolonial war. This makes his work more attractive to look at since it generates a flow of events, and one can come up with an idea of the pictures of Shomei.
The two images have some few similarities that are identified. The basic similarities are that both pictures are black and white, and the best photographers take them during those events of life. Second, both photographers main aim is to capture a scene that when people view it, they will generate some basic ideas concerning the photo. For instance, in the first work, Cartier takes a picture of a busy businessman who tries to jump off a broken ladder. When a viewer takes a look at the picture, some impression would be what is going to happen when he takes the next step. Also, in Shimoei’s photograph, some thoughts would pop up in the viewer’s minds. What was the purpose of the watch being taken a picture? The reason why the watch does not have strands? Also, why the watch stopped at the exact time and its significance?. Thus both images raise questions and even answers which may be different according to different individuals thinking.
Some differences are noticed in these pictures. The subject matter of the first picture is of a man who tries to jump off a broken ladder while the second picture is of a wristwatch. The subject matter in the first picture relates to a social perspective of life. It is an interpretation of people in the society who take a step of faith in doing uncertain actions in their life, yet they do not know the outcome. In the second picture of a wristwatch, it talks of the postcolonial period in Japan and the effects it caused to the Japanese. Besides, the picture of Cartier was taken at the moment the man was jumping. While in the image of the wristwatch, it was snapped in the times of the precolonial war. That is the after the bomb. The setting of Cartier’s picture was during a typical day when people were doing their daily activities; however, the second picture of Shomei is during the times of war in Japan. The picture of the watch was when the bomb exploded. Lastly, both photographers have different aims of taking their pictures. In the first picture of Cartier, his primary goal was the reality of life using a single picture. He wanted to snap photos which convinced facts. Just like he took a picture of a man as he tried to jump. Shomei, on the other hand, takes pictures that act as evidence of the ruins made in Japan, also how Japan developed since the precolonial war.