Impulse

Doisneau was one of the great French reportage photographers of the 40’s & 50’s that included Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kértsz, Brassaï, Edouard Boubat, and Willy Ronis. Unlike those photojournalists, Doisneau rarely left Paris, choosing instead to stay at home and photograph his native city. The result is a body of work that captures Paris in loving detail. The French adore Doisneau; his photos are all over every post card and guide book in the city. In fact, mainstream bookstores in Paris which hardly carried photography often carried a whole shelf of Doisneau’s books.

Doisneau’s whimsical eye caught my attention first. Doisneau is amused by people (as I am). He sees the amusing way people react to situations (as in “The Sidelong Glance”), or the way they unconsciously arrange themselves in humorous juxtapositions. A few photos are premeditated, like the portrait of Picasso in his kitchen, but most are completely spontaneous. “The Sidelong Glance”, one of my favorites, is a mixture of both. According to Hamilton’s biography of Doisneau, a friend left Doisneau in charge of his shop. Doisneau noticed the nude painting in the window, set up the camera, and waited for something to happen. Artificial? A bit. Spontaneous? A bit. A great way to capture the naturally humorous way people act? Absolutely.

Doisneau didn’t just capture people being silly. He recorded the quiet moments of joy or despair of ordinary people living their lives. The book Rue Jacques Prévert is a great collection of these photos. A street cleaner fixing his broom, a factory worker feeding his child, fishermen along the Seine, markets, couples kissing, the streets at night. Doisneau walked all over Paris with cohorts Jacques Prévert and Robert Giraud photographing the people and places they encountered. Doisneau stops time, capturing little gems of fleeting moments that otherwise would have passed by unnoticed. He does so in a way that feels like I’m a welcome participant in the scene.

Doisneau always showed great compassion for the people he photographed. It did not matter if they were beggars or businessmen, Doisneau portrayed people with dignity and respect. This is especially true of children. Doisneau was great at capturing the spontaneity and playfulness of children without the drippy sentimentality that other photographers have poured over their photos. In Doisneau’s photos, kids joke around, play, walk on their hands, always enjoying life.

Why do I like Doisneau’s work? Doisneau’s view of the world is one of amusement, human dignity, and hope. It’s a point of view that resonates with me deeply, reflecting my own values and the humor I’ve seen in the world. But: it’s a view I’ve lost. Politics, world events, and burnout at my old job have hardened me; made me cynical. Voilà, Doisneau - a photographer who, during the occupation of Paris, literally had to manufacture his own film to scrape enough of a living to feed his family. Despite all that, the world in his books continue to be full of hope, and faith in the goodness in people. I want to see the world with that optimism once again.

I guess it’s a statement on the man himself, who I very much admire. Here is my favorite Doisneau story:

The concierge in Doisneau’s building, Paul Barabé, was an eager assistant to Doisneau through much of the photographer’s post-war career, helping in the darkroom, building props, and acting as a model. Barabé grew old as we all do and eventually became too weak to be able to carry out his duties as concierge, namely bringing out the building’s trash. Doisneau, knowing that Barabé would loose his job and thus his home if anyone in the building found out, snuck out each morning to take out the building’s trash unnoticed. He continued to do this for his friend for the rest of Barabé’s life.

Books

• Robert Doisneau: A Photographer’s Life, by Peter Hamilton. The definitive biography


• Rue Jacques Prévert, by Robert Doisneau (poetry by Jacques Prévert).


• Un Certain, by Robert Doisneau.


• Doisneau, Peter Hamilton.


• Three Seconds of Eternity, by Robert Doisneau.


• Ballade pour Violoncelle et Chambre Noir, by Robert Doisneau with Maurice Bacquet. I’ve never seen this book, but dream about finding it someday, probably in a dusty used bookstore.

• Interview with Doisneau by Frank Horvat


• Masters of Photography: Robert Doisneau


• Staley Wise Gallery


• robertdoisneau.com


• Rapho photo agency