André Kertész is regarded as a pioneer of photography because he helped redefine what the medium could be, both in form and in spirit. His influence runs across street photography, photojournalism, and modernist art. Here’s why he holds that reputation:

⸻

1. Redefining “everyday life” as art
• In the 1910s–20s, when many photographers still focused on posed portraits or grand subjects, Kertész turned his lens on ordinary street scenes, quiet gestures, and fleeting details.
• His way of finding poetry in the mundane directly influenced later street photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Brassaï.

⸻

2. Innovative use of composition
• He broke away from rigid rules of framing and instead played with angles, reflections, shadows, and distortions.
• His series of “Distortions” (1933), photographing the human body reflected in funhouse mirrors, anticipated surrealist experiments.

⸻

3. Humanistic vision
• Kertész combined sensitivity with observation: he photographed people with empathy rather than as mere subjects.
• His work carried a strong emotional resonance without being sentimental—a balance that shaped the aesthetics of 20th-century documentary photography.

⸻

4. Bridging art and photojournalism
• He worked in Paris in the 1920s–30s, publishing in magazines like Vu, where he blended artistic experimentation with reportage.
• This set the groundwork for photojournalism as an art form rather than just news documentation.

⸻

5. Influence on later masters
• Henri Cartier-Bresson, often credited with the concept of the “decisive moment,” openly acknowledged Kertész’s influence.
• Brassaï, Robert Capa, and even contemporary photographers have traced their approach to his vision.

⸻

📷 In short: Kertész pioneered the idea that photography could be both art and document, personal yet universal, playful yet profound. His quiet, lyrical style set the stage for much of modern photography.