Cartier-Bresson studied painting in André Lhote’s studio before taking his first shots with a camera in Cote d’Ivoire in 1931. Returned from his trip to Africa, he bought a Leica and started publishing the photos he had taken while travelling to Italy, Spain, and Mexico in different reviews. In 1926, he took interest in the surrealists, incorporating their techniques (chance operations, wanderings, subversions) into his own artistic practice.