Tribute

What is it that makes me happy about the photography of Robert Doisneau? I've been trying to figure this out ever since I first saw his famous "Le Basier de L'Hotel de Vilne". There is something that makes you comfortable, and truly aware of your human condition, of how funny and fulfilling is to be a simple crazy person wondering on the streets of the city. Yeah, there is a lot to say. First, there ar all the "kiss" photos... of simple people who look like stars in '30s movies all because of being together in something our society generally calls love. Hehe. Even on this subject, Doisneau is "candide", both because overwhelming sexuality was not invented at that time, and because love was, as well as it will be 30-40 years later, the only answer to post-war problems (I keed). Then, there are the photos of children... but most of these children are poor and live in a world where playing still blindfolds them from despair. And some funny dogs, and some funny situations on the street... But what resides in most of the works of Doisneau is a feeling of loneliness that cannot be cured by temporary solutions like a kiss, a pet or even a child... the cellist will play alone on the rock and Picasso will look at his bread covered in spleen from head to toes. Try to speak of love, thoughts, playing, walking, crying... try to write about what it is like to be human in the modern world... I believe you need tens of volumes to say what resides in a Doisneau photograph. Because it's simple, just like that.