Cartier-Bresson Analysis.

The content of this photo is obvious to the eye. It is composed of 7 figures, sitting on what seems to be a field. The figure in the utmost foreground (an old man) is sitting completely upright, and seems to be staring down towards the ground, or his hands, depending on which way you look at it. The 6 figures behind him are all in a lying down position, or close to it, but none are fully upright in the manner that he is. A large shadow is cast by an off-camera object, and covers the top ¾ of the photo, leaving only a small part of the photo in sunlight, or what seems to be sunlight. In my opinion, the first thing that strikes me about the use of form in this photo is the use of shadow. As the shadow intensifies from background to foreground, the figures seem to be more and more upright, to the point where the one man is completely upright. This links in to the idea of a time-line, which I will talk about later on. Another thing that strikes me about this photo is the use of tone, and contrast. The jet black of the man's suit, as well as trousers, stands out from the rest of the content, and, once noticed, blends in well with the dark blacks of the figures behind him.

There are several formal elements being used in this photo, such as:
Texture
Tone
Space
and
Depth Of Field.

The texture of the surface gives the photo a much more organic and natural feel, and adds to the atmosphere of the photo; as if it was taken on a whim.. It is hard to determine whether Cartier-Bresson wanted all of these formalities to come out in his photograph, or whether it was all purely incidental. The answer to that, however, may never be known to us. The use of tone (e.g the jet black of the man's suit, dotted with mud-stains, and the black clothing of the figures around him, from centre to background) leads the eye of the viewer, and draws their attention to specific parts within the photograph. This use of tone also enables us to notice absolutely everything about the photograph, leaving nothing unseen. The space between the figures present in the photograph also leads the viewer's eye, causing them to look from the back ground to the foreground, coming to the final figure in front, and solidifying any ideas that the viewer may have about the themes of the photo. The tonal values of the photo are very differentiating, coming from the light greys present in the background, where the empty ground is fully immersed in sunlight, to the much harsher blacks of the foreground, and of the centre.

From the use of shadow present, we can deduce some form of emotional context for the man, and for the photo. For example, one way in which the form and content work together to create meaning, is creating a sense of isolation. The main figure in the foreground has a lot more space in between himself and the person behind him, in relation to the person behind him and the people in the background. This space creates a sense of isolation, and this feeling of isolation is deepened by the body language of the main figure (E.g. looking straight down into the ground, sat up straight, shoulders hunched). Another way in which meaning is conveyed is the use of tone and line combined. In the background, where the aforementioned shadow begins, there is a clear divide between the 2nd and 3rd figures, caused by the lines of the shadow. This divide could represent a metaphorical change in emotional state, or in self-awareness. For example, from the background to the foreground, the figures all have different states of “awake” (e.g. flat to the ground in the background, and fully upright in the foreground). These different states of “Awake” could represent the passing of the man’s life; the timeline from start to finish, and finally realising what everything that's been accomplished in life is all about. This idea could be re-enforced by the contemplative emotion and body language present on the foreground figure. Another way that this photo could be interpreted is insinuating a sense of awareness of surroundings. For example, just past the boundary of the shadow, one man is propped up onto one arm, as if he had noticed something in the background. The two figures past him, are both lying down, until finally, we reach the foreground figure, who looks deeply involved in feelings of remore and regret. These feelings of regret could originate from having realised that he has missed out on parts of life; parts of life that he will never be able to live again. This proposed idea ties in with the idea of several stages of metaphysical awakening.
Another way in which space is used is the scattering of figures, be it natural or set-up, from left to right. These figures could, metaphorically, represent thoughts. In a vague sense, the field could be a part of the main figure's mind, and the people behind him, are the thoughts inside his head, taking up space. The scattering of the people could represent confusion,and the deep look of consideration on the man's face could be related to him trying to figure why exactly the thoughts are so scattered, or why they are there to begin with.