HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON 1938
With the final glass of red wine, the Sunday picnic comes to an end. The contented picnickers–surrounded on the grassy bank by scattered crumbs and empty wine bottles–savor the peace. To photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, this was "le moment décisif," the single instant that captures the scene's meaning. The photograph doesn't rely on faces to convey the tranquillity of the moment; instead, the details that at first glance may seem peripheral–the boat floating on the smooth river, for example–are the keys to vividly depicting the French picnic lunch.

–David Enrich