Robert Doisneau Wiki
Robert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris; together with Henri Cartier-Bresson he was a pioneer of photojournalism.He is renowned for his 1950 image Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville), a photo of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris. Robert Doisneau was appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the National Order of the Légion d'honneur in 1984.
Photographic career
Robert 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 over twenty books Doisneau 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." Robert Doisneau. | ” |
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. In his honour, and owing to this, there are severalEcole Primaire (Primary Schools) named after him. An example is at Veretz (Indre-et-Loire).
Robert Doisneau is one of France's best known photographers, for his street photography and the many playful images in everyday French life. His photographs over the course of several decades provide people with a great record of French life. He has published over twenty books with realistic and charming pictures of personal moments in the lives of individuals.
Early life
Doisneau's father, a plumber, died on active service in World War I when Robert was about four. His mother died when he was seven so he was then raised by an unloving aunt.
At thirteen he enrolled at the École Estienne, a craft school where he graduated in 1929 with diplomas in engraving and lithography. Here he had his first contact with the arts, taking classes in Figure drawing and Still life.
When he was 16 he took up amateur photography but was reportedly so shy that he started by photographing cobble-stones before progressing to children and then adults.
At the end of the 1920s Doisneau found work as a draughtsman (lettering artist) in the advertising industry at Atelier Ullmann (Ullmann Studio), a creative graphics studio that specialised in the pharmaceutical industry. Here he took an opportunity to change career by also acting as camera assistant in the studio and then becoming a staff photographer.
Personal life
In 1936 Doisneau married Pierrette Chaumaison whom he had met in 1934 when she was cycling through a village where he was on holiday. They had two daughters, Annette (b.1942) and Francine (b.1947). Annette worked as his assistant from 1979 until his death.
Pierrette died in 1993 suffering from Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Doisneau died six months later, having had a triple heart bypass and suffering from acute pancreatitis. Annette said "We won in the courts, (re: The Kiss) but my father was deeply shocked. He discovered a world of lies, and it hurt him. 'The Kiss' ruined the last years of his life. Add that to my mother suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and I think it's fair to say he died of sadness."
Doisneau was in many ways a shy and humble man, like his photography, still delivering his own work at the height of his fame. He chastised Francine for charging an 'indecent' daily fee of £2,000 for his work on a beer advertising campaign – he wanted only the rate of an "artisan photographer".
| “ | "Maybe if I was 20, success would change me. But now I'm a dinosaur of photography," Doisneau | ” |
He lived in southern Paris (Gentilly, Val-de-Marne, Montrouge and 13th arrondissement of Paris) throughout his life and died in 1994. He is buried in the cemetery at Raizeux beside his wife Pierrette.
| Robert Doisneau Profile | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | Ecole Estienne, graduated 1929, diplomas in engraving and lithography |
| Occupation | Photographer, engraver |
| Known for | Street photography, Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville(Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville) |
| Title | Chevalier of the Order of theLégion d'honneur |
| Spouse | Pierrette (née Chaumaison) |
| Children | Annette (b.1942) Francine (b.1947) |
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