Brassai

I am so inspired by the photographer Gyula Halász (also known as Brassai), his work is beautiful, mysterious, sensual, and completely captivating. He was born on September 9, 1899 in Brasso, Hungary, but moved to Paris at the age of three with his family. Brassai (his name comes from the city that he was born in) accomplished so much in his life from studying fine arts at two different academies both in Budapest and Berlin, to serving in World War I, and writing as a journalist for several years before pursuing photography. He decided to move back to Paris in 1924 where he would wander the bare streets of Paris at night and take pictures of the city that he was so fascinated by. He completely immersed himself in the French art and literature scene when he would take his photographs at night and as a result he met many interesting people. Brassai became friends with Matisse, Picasso, Prévert, and Giacometti to name a few. He was a novelist and also produced several films, his most famous being Tant qu'il y aura des bêtes which won Most Original Film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974. He passed away on July 7, 1984 in the south of France. How people view the city of Paris is due to the images that Brassai took back in the 1930's when exploring the streets, bars, and cafe's of the city.

Some photographs taken from : http://www.masters-of-fine-art-photography.com/02/artphotogallery/database/brassai02.jpg