Dung Collector, Beijing, China 1948

Henri Cartier-Bresson made this photograph in Beijing, China. It's a black and white image and there’s something about the tonal range he’s got going on here that reminds me of printmaking. You have these tightly compressed ranks of soldiers there in the mid-ground, set against the individual dung collector in the foreground. This is a great example of how an artist can use light and shadow to create atmosphere and emotion. Look at the way the light falls on the dung collector’s back, highlighting his labor. Then look at the hard shadows and dark tones on the bucket he carries - the weight of it seems palpable! It’s like the figures are suspended in this vast, grey field. He manages to capture the mood of a place and time with such clarity and precision, but still leaves space for ambiguity. Like a painter, Cartier-Bresson lets the image resonate with multiple meanings, engaging us in a dialogue about humanity and its place in the world. It calls to mind some of the work of Robert Frank, another photographer whose images had a painterly quality.