Celebration, Mexico City

A pioneer of photojournalism, Henri Cartier-Bresson used the camera as if it were an artist?s sketchbook capturing the dynamic elements of people, gatherings and events around him. In this image, Cartier-Bresson shoots a celebratory scene in Mexico City where people?dressed in elaborate costumes, plumed headdresses and cowboy hats?have crowded into an open square. Ornate iron fences and an arched structure create a triangular composition in the foreground where the celebration takes place. In the distance, city lights shine on the grey silhouettes of buildings. The image balances the energy and social interaction of the crowd with the quiet, still shadows and hazy architecture that looms beyond.