Doisneau

Visited the Robert Doisneau exhibition at the Cartier Bresson Foundation, yesterday. I was sleepy, but it was two stops away, so I grabbed a croissant and hot chocolate, and waited (for an hour!) in line with a few friends.

I am not big on waiting to view art. I feel like it kills the calm of the experience. But this was worthwhile. The crowd was much more local than the flock of tourists you'll find at the larger museums, so that helped.

Framed on mossy green walls, the photographs were just great. It was so impresisve to see someone minipulate light, and still manage to capture very fleeting moments, all with 70 years less technology than we have today.

He's known for some very charming, and iconic images of vintage Paris. I recognized some of his more famous shots from my post card collection.

But the exhibition pushed to show a slightly darker side of his collection. Mixed in with the charming, were eerie photos of grubby children in Parisian suburbia. He really had an eye for situational humor, but could also make a very dramatic statement.

The print of this photo really caught my attention. The content was grim, but the contrast and layout of the photo was really made it something beautiful. It's an interesting mix of feelings I get when seeing a photo like this. My first reaction was to the aesthetic attraction. I liked it, a lot. And then came the sympathy; the story behind the photo finding my emotions.

That's what I like about photography; the blend of aesthetics and story telling.

Doisneau had an amazing grip on both angles.

Anyway, the exhibition's at Metro: Gaité, runs until April 18th, & is just 3euro with a student card. Get going.