Henri Cartier-Bresson

[Guest guest]

Gabrielle,

 

As Michael noted, Henri passed away just this month (Aug.

3/2004). There is a write-up by the Guardian newspaper on his life

here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1276140,00.html

 

The following is an excerpt from http://www.sentient.org/julaug03.html

The photo they refer to does not appear on that webpage:

-------

Henri Cartier-Bresson

 

In the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson, we see an intuitive

instinct for capturing decisive moments. His striking photographs

thrust him to the forefront of leading photographers of the 20th

Century, and now in his 95th year he remains the same reserved,

astute observer, shunning the limelight. A recent retrospective of

his work at the French National Library in Paris coincided with the

creation of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, the first private

foundation dedicated to photography in France.

 

His obsession with 'decisive moments' took him to the funeral of

Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi in 1948 and to the Mahasamadhi of Sri Ramana

Maharshi in April, 1950. Working as a press photographer he traveled

throughout Asia and apparently made at least one earlier visit to Sri

Ramanasramam in 1948.

 

It was he who Arthur Osborne coolly recollects in his Ramana Maharshi

and the Path of Self Knowledge:

 

For a few moments people stood bewildered. The singing continued. The

French press-photographer came up to me and asked at what precise

minute it had happened. Resenting it as journalistic callousness, I

replied brusquely that I did not know, and then I suddenly recalled

Sri Bhagavan's unfailing courtesy and answered precisely that it was

8.47. He said, and I could hear now that he was excited, that he had

been pacing the road outside and at that very moment an enormous star

had trailed slowly across the sky. Many had seen it, even as far away

as Madras, and felt what it portended.

 

It passed to the northeast towards the peak of Arunachala.

 

Not only did Cartier-Bresson have the privilege of observing this

light, which appeared at the moment of the Maharshi physical demise,

he is distinguished for taking the last photos of the Master. This

photograph (below), along with another of the Maharshi's body the

morning after the Mahasamadhi, appears in his collection of Indian

photographs, titled Henri Cartier-Bresson In India. Three other

photos of Sri Ramanasramam appear in this volume.

 

His two visits to the ashram suggest both an insight into the

Maharshi's place in history and an understanding of the Sage's

sublime spiritual personality. It certainly would be interesting to

speak with him on this matter and browse through the numerous photos

he must have taken during these visits.

----------

Dietmar

 

RamanaMaharshi, "Gabriele Ebert"

<g.ebert@g...> wrote:

> Dear Michael,

>

> this is also a question which would be interesting here.

> Last Monday there was in the UK BBC television a late tv-

> documentation about Henri Cartier-Bresson. Being in London last

week

> I wanted by all means to watch - but fall aslept before it startd

at

> 11.20 p.m. Possibly someone else has watched.

> What I know from Henri is that he has published his photos about

> India in a book "In India". It contains the photos of Ghandi as

well

> as the last photos of Bhagavan, also his funeral. He seemed to have

> a general interest in India.

>

> Regards

> Gabriele

>

> PS: In autumn there will be an exhibition about Henri in

> Zurich/Swiss. Henri is still alive - so one could ask him. Who will

> do?

>

>

> > Dear All,

> > I note the passing of the famous photographer Henri

> > Cartier-Bresson . I believe he took some important pictures of

> Bhagavan and

> > also reported seeing the comet that signalled Bhagavan's

> mahasamadhi. I

> > also note that he took some photo of Gandhi on the day of the

> mahatma's

> > assassination.

> > Does anyone on here know of Henri's philosophical

> interests ?

> > Was he just in India pursuing his professional interests ,or did

> he have a

> > deeper interest in eastern philosophy?

> > None of the obits. in the broadsheets mention

> anything about

> > his spiritual interests so i wondered if any Bhagavan historians

> might like

> > or be able to shed some light on this .

> > Thanks,

> > Michael Dillon

> >

> > _______________

> > It's fast, it's easy and it's free. Get MSN Messenger today!

> > http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger

[Guest guest]

Given Henri's intuitive instinct for capturing decisive moments and the fact

that he noted the precise time of the start slowly traveling across the sky,

I am almost certain that he would have taken a picture of that star. How I

wish somebody could contact his foundation and speak to them about it.

 

Also, Harsha's posting of Sri N.R.Krishnamurthy Iyer's dialogue with

bhagavan reminded me that there is a video of NRK himself narrating this

incident. It is in the "Guru Ramana" video and it is extremely beautiful to

hear Sri NRK narrate the incident.

 

In sri bhagavan

 

Swami

 

>Message: 1

> Wed, 25 Aug 2004 18:44:34 -0000

> "cuzco59" <cuzco59

>Re: Henri Cartier-Bresson

>

>Gabrielle,

>

> As Michael noted, Henri passed away just this month (Aug.

>3/2004). There is a write-up by the Guardian newspaper on his life

>here:

>http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1276140,00.html

>

>The following is an excerpt from http://www.sentient.org/julaug03.html

>The photo they refer to does not appear on that webpage:

>-------

>Henri Cartier-Bresson

>

>In the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson, we see an intuitive

>instinct for capturing decisive moments. His striking photographs

>thrust him to the forefront of leading photographers of the 20th

>Century, and now in his 95th year he remains the same reserved,

>astute observer, shunning the limelight. A recent retrospective of

>his work at the French National Library in Paris coincided with the

>creation of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, the first private

>foundation dedicated to photography in France.

>

>His obsession with 'decisive moments' took him to the funeral of

>Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi in 1948 and to the Mahasamadhi of Sri Ramana

>Maharshi in April, 1950. Working as a press photographer he traveled

>throughout Asia and apparently made at least one earlier visit to Sri

>Ramanasramam in 1948.

>

>It was he who Arthur Osborne coolly recollects in his Ramana Maharshi

>and the Path of Self Knowledge:

>

>For a few moments people stood bewildered. The singing continued. The

>French press-photographer came up to me and asked at what precise

>minute it had happened. Resenting it as journalistic callousness, I

>replied brusquely that I did not know, and then I suddenly recalled

>Sri Bhagavan's unfailing courtesy and answered precisely that it was

>8.47. He said, and I could hear now that he was excited, that he had

>been pacing the road outside and at that very moment an enormous star

>had trailed slowly across the sky. Many had seen it, even as far away

>as Madras, and felt what it portended.

>

>It passed to the northeast towards the peak of Arunachala.

>

>Not only did Cartier-Bresson have the privilege of observing this

>light, which appeared at the moment of the Maharshi physical demise,

>he is distinguished for taking the last photos of the Master. This

>photograph (below), along with another of the Maharshi's body the

>morning after the Mahasamadhi, appears in his collection of Indian

>photographs, titled Henri Cartier-Bresson In India. Three other

>photos of Sri Ramanasramam appear in this volume.

>

>His two visits to the ashram suggest both an insight into the

>Maharshi's place in history and an understanding of the Sage's

>sublime spiritual personality. It certainly would be interesting to

>speak with him on this matter and browse through the numerous photos

>he must have taken during these visits.

>----------

>Dietmar

>

 

_______________

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