Humanist Photography
Photography
We could make this publication thanks to small donations. How is 3 minutos de arte supported?
Humanist Photography
Humanist photography is a kind of subgenre of social documentary.
Social documentary photography shows social reality with the intention of generating awareness and promoting a better, fairer humanity. And within this genre, then, we find a current that has a specific characteristic and is called “humanist photography.”
Humanist photography is a type of photography that gained prominence in the thirties of the last century. It portrayed the enthusiasm of believing in human beings again after difficult times.
Humanist photography tries to recover sensitivity, which is what makes us human beings.
Although it is still “documentary,” it is photography that depicts small moments that restore our optimism, and make us believe that life is valuable and worthwhile.
Three photographers are considered to be the innovators of this trend: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. Although the curious thing is that each one did it on their own, independently, without knowing each other and without having proposed to generate a new current.
Although this photographic genre has been around forever, we can say that its moment of greatest relevance, its emblematic moment, is the interwar period (mainly the thirties and part of the forties), and its epicenter is France.
In humanist photography, we find naturalness, simplicity, and spontaneity to reflect everyday life. The ordinary has been elevated to the exceptional.
Humanist photography captures the magical charm of ordinary life. The one we have become accustomed to and tend to let slip away.
Representative Photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Brassaï, Mercel Bovis, Paul Almasy, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Sabine Weiss.
Image: The Kiss by the Hotel de Ville (1950). Robert Doisneau.
Recommended links:
Social Documentary Photography.
You can also find more material using the search engine.
0 Comments