Henri Cartier-Bresson

Last night I caught a replay of Charlie Rose's interview with him in 2000? Rose, in his pandering way wanted him to fess up some of that typical artistic drivel, but he wouldn't take the bait.

"..this is what I do,..." and shrug was the best he got. Got to admire that, steadfast in his convictions right to the end! The closest we got to the inner workings was his admission that he was ethically an anarchist. Rose wanted him to define and explain that term for his dumbed-down US audience, (the term now seeming to be interchangeable with terrorist) Again a shrug and smirk. You truly sensed the man was at his happiest when he was taking photos, and it came intuitively to him.

The last clip was a behind the scene, post-interview out-take where someone brought the two men glasses of red wine. Rose sipped his and continue to pander to his subject while Cartier Bresson slugged his all back and then mock photographed Rose through the bottom of his empty glass. It summed up his joie de vive and passion for photography in one spontaneous moment!