Robert Doisneau
| Robert Doisneau | |
|---|---|
in his studio in Montrouge, 1992
|
|
| Born |
Robert Doisneau 14 April 1912 Gentilly, Val-de-Marne, Paris |
| Died | 1 April 1994 (aged 81) Montrouge, Paris |
| Cause of death | Acute pancreatitis |
| Resting place | Raizeux |
| Education | École Estienne, 1929 graduate, diplomas in engraving and lithography |
| Occupation | Photographer, engraver |
| Known for | Street photography, Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (The kiss by the town hall) |
| Title | Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honour |
| Spouse(s) | Pierrette (née Chaumaison) |
| Children | Annette (b. 1942) Francine (b. 1947) |
Robert Doisneau (French: [ʁɔbɛʁ dwano]; 14 April 1912 – 1 April 1994) was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and with Henri Cartier-Bresson a pioneer of photojournalism. He is renowned for his 1950 image Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Town Hall), a photograph of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris. Doisneau was appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour in 1984.
Doisneau was known for his modest, playful, and ironic images of amusing juxtapositions, mingling social classes, and eccentrics in contemporary Paris streets and cafes. Influenced by the work of André Kertész, Eugène Atget, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, in more than twenty books he presented a charming vision of human frailty and life as a series of quiet, incongruous moments.
The marvels of daily life are so exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.
Doisneau's work gives unusual prominence and dignity to children's street culture; returning again and again to the theme of children at play in the city, unfettered by parents. His work treats their play with seriousness and respect.
Doisneau's father, a plumber, died in active service in World War I when Robert was about four. His mother died when he was seven. He then was raised by an unloving aunt.
At thirteen he enrolled at the École Estienne, a craft school from which he graduated in 1929 with diplomas in engraving and lithography. There he had his first contact with the arts, taking classes in figure drawing and still life.
...
Wikipedia