ROBERT DOISNEAU - a humanist street photographer
Robert Doisneau, one of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century, left an indelible mark on the world of photography with his style and ability to capture intimate, spontaneous moments of everyday life.
Born in 1912 in a working-class suburb of Gentilly, France, Doisneau approached photography in an unlikely way: as a document forger during the war.
After an experience as a fashion photographer for Vogue, he made his artistic choice and thus spent his life immortalizing scenes of everyday life, portraits of ordinary people and ephemeral moments that have made his work iconic in the panorama of humanist photography, which later handed over the baton to street photography.
Humanist photography developed in the post-war period, mainly in Europe, as a response to the devastation of war and the search for a new cultural identity.
Photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, and Robert Capa helped define this movement through their approach to documentary photography, which focused on humanity and its everyday experiences.
In this context, Robert Doisneau, Edouard Boubat, Willy Ronis, and Izis emerged as the main exponents of humanist photography, thanks to their sensitivity to observing ordinary people's lives.
Doisneau became famous for his ability to capture the beauty and poetry of street life, focusing attention on fleeting, spontaneous moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. His discreet shooting technique and sometimes melancholy sensitivity in interacting with his subjects made his images authentic and fully representative of French urban life.
Among the numerous iconic images of Doisneau's poetics, I selected a shot from 1953, "Fox-terrier au Pont des Arts". Given that, in those years, the photographic tool hindered an adequate composition and the achievement of the so-called "decisive moment", this image is striking for the alignment of the subjects and the sequence of narratives. The gaze falls fon the dog, which observes the photographer with curiosity and is disinterested in its owner, who, in turn, is intrigued by the work of the street painter. The subjects are linked to each other physically (the leash) or conceptually (the gaze on the street painter). They are also linked from the point of view of composition as a canonic example of the application of the golden section.
 |
(accessed on 22/01/2024) |
As Doisneau stated:
"....the photographs that interest me and that I find successful are those that do not reach a conclusion, that do not tell a story to the end but remain open to also allow the viewer to go part of the way with the image, continue it at will, a kind of trampoline of dreams..."
It is fair to say that, precisely because of this frantic search for the right framing of the subject at the right moment, Doisneau was accused of having often created non-genuine scenes, convincing the subjects to repeat what they had done shortly before.
Nevertheless, Doisneau's photographs exude an intrinsic poetry, a romanticism in everyday life. Through his images, Doisneau shows us the beauty hidden in the most common actions: lovers kissing in the rain, children playing in the street, and workers intent on their daily tasks.
Each shot by Doisneau tells a story, evoking emotions and provoking reflections on the human condition. Doisneau's photographs are works of art and historical documents that offer a privileged glimpse into 20th-century France. Through his images, we can observe the social and economic changes that characterized the post-war period, from the reconstruction of cities to the birth of mass culture. His photographs are testimonies of an era, capturing moments of joy and light-heartedness and the challenges and difficulties of a changing society.
 |
from https://ilbolive.unipd.it/it/news/fotografia-doisneau-linfanzia-innamorati-bistrot (accessed on 22/01/2024) |
Even if marginal in his published work, Doisneau's inclination to address and document not only the romantic aspects of social life but also the problematic and ignored ones connects him to what would later become documentary and denunciatory street photography. In this regard, it is appropriate to mention his photographic services on the Banlieues of Paris and, similarly to Vivian Maier, the content, with social background, of some of the forty thousand shots never published and collected after his departure in April 1994.
Robert Doisneau's influence extends far beyond his time, continuing to inspire photographers around the world. His humanistic approach and ability to capture the essence of everyday life have left a lasting imprint on contemporary street photography. Photographers such as Vivian Maier, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, and Martin Parr have all cited Doisneau as a source of inspiration and have helped keep his spirit alive through their work.
His humanist approach to street photography helped define an entire genre, influencing generations of subsequent photographers. Through his images imbued with poetry and authenticity, Doisneau gave us a timeless glimpse into the beauty and complexity of human life.
Henry Cartier Bresson once stated:
"To photograph is to put the head, the eye, and the heart in the same line of sight."
This is the case of Doisneau, and thanks to his legacy, we continue to appreciate this precious lesson.
