Robert Doisneau - Centennial Retrospective Exhibition, Tokyo

Before travelling to Japan, I did check what photographic events were taking place in Tokyo. As a country renowned for its cameras as well as many famous photographers, I expected that there would be a plethora of events.
In Tokyo, I readily found information on the Metropolitan Museum of Photography, but little else in central Tokyo. The Metropolitan Museum shows three different exhibitions at any one time, but it does not have a permanent display of Japanese or other photographers. On the day we went there, I had the choice between a retrospective exhibition of Robert Doisneau, an exhibition of photographs by Felice Beato, an Englishman who travelled through Asia in late 19th century, and an exhibition entitled "Desolation" by a 20th Century Japanese photographer. The latter did not seem likely to provide inspiration for People and Places course, so I opted for the Robert Doisneau Retrospective.
The retrospective included pre-war and war-time photographs in black and white through to colour photographs from the 1980s. The exhibition notes were naturally in Japanese which meant that I could only read the photograph titles which were shown in the original French.
I had liked the photos of his that I had seen in the past, but I was aware that he has been criticized as he used two actors for his most famous image of two people kissing at the Hotel de Ville in Paris. He does not feature in the books on photographic art criticism that I have read as part of this course and I have the impression that he is not considered as worthy of study. Nevertheless, there is, in my view, a lot to learn from his work:- 

• His use of light (natural light, artificial light and flash) was second to none.
• He portrays human nature in ways that almost everyone can understand. Sometimes humorous, sometimes ironic, most of his pictures need no commentary.

La Communion de Monique, Montrouge 1943
The photograph (Number 4 of 15 Paris Occupation Liberation) taken in wartime appears to have been taken in a cellar or underground chamber of a girl's first communion. She is dressed in a white dress and veil, and the room is full of friends and family dressed in their best clothes. There seems to be a light in the ceiling shining down on the foreground figures as well as some light illuminating the faces of the background figures. One of the intriguing features is that the people look as if they are listening for something: their faces are generally serious and several of them are looking up. Is the ceremony taking place during a bombing raid or some other danger, which has momentarily distracted their attention. It seems likely that this is a photograph of an authentic event, and I do not feel that this is a tableau arranged by the photographer.
Cafe Noir et Blanc, Joinville le Port 1948
A photograph (Number 2 of 15 wedding photos) juxtaposes a miner still black with coal dust with a bride in white and bridegroom at a bar. It is improbable that the photographer came across this scene by accident. He probably arranged for the miner and/or the married couple to be present. Are the people actors dressed up for the photographer? Maybe not, the miner certainly looks authentic. When I first saw this photograph, I assumed that the miner had been present at the wedding, as I seem to remember that miners are associated with bringing good luck. It looked to me as if the wedding party have adjourned to this bar, including the miner. For me, this photograph is amusing and intriguing irrespective of whether the photographer truly found these people in a bar, or whether he arranged for them to be present, or whether they are all actors dressed up specially for the photograph.
I assume that he must have used flash as it would not have been very light in the bar. There is a bright reflection in the window in the background. The shadows are not obtrusive however, just a little under the brides are and a narrow line behind the arm of the barmaid.
Other photos
Several other photos in the exhibition that I studied do not appear to be available to link to on the web. I have recorded briefly my notes on these below:
Arceuil 1943: The photograph is taken at a sharp bend. A mother is walking towards us with a child on each hand. The pavement sweeps around and leads to a tall building in the background. There is low sunlight from the right hand side. The light and shade of this image makes a drab scene something striking.
Jean Cocteau et sa gourvenante 1956: This is a head and torso portrait of two people, with Jean Cocteau in the left foreground with an elderly lady, his governess standing in a doorway in the background. Light is coming through the doorway so that her face is lit from the side and her head casts a shadow on the door. Both are looking at the camera, but there is an intriguing element which I think derives from the intimate link between the two subjects. The photographer is revealing to us a glimpse of the personal life of a celebrity. One wonders what the governess thinks of Jean Cocteau and vice versa? I like the fact that the couple are not shown side by side, which seems to add some psychological drama to the scene. Also the figures stand out against the light and shade of the doorway which makes the scene visually dramatic.