Day 27 – We’ll Always Have Paris!

Something I’ve noticed during my brief foray into the world of fine art is that Paris has played a major part in art’s history. This is probably another one of those moments where you are rolling your eyes at me and saying “Yeah, NEWS FLASH, Diana.” But hey, I just never paid enough attention to really notice it before. Anyways, given that Paris has played such a central role in art, I was intrigued when I came across a photographer famous for photographing Paris itself. 

One of the most influential photographers of the 20^th century was a well-known Parisian Photographer, Gyula Halász, who went by the pseudonym “Brassai.” (http://famous-photographers.com/brassai/; http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/BRASSAI.html). Born in Hungary, Brassai’s family spent time in France when he was a young child, and he would eventually become famous for photographing Paris. He had a great interest in art and even studied sculpture and painting at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. Eventually, Brassai’s path took him back to Paris. He loved the city and photographed it extensively, both by wandering the city at night and by taking pictures of the city’s high society- its intellectuals, operas, and ballets. His first book, Paris de Nuit, showcasing his pictures of Paris at night, was a great success.

Brassai was known for his writing and filmmaking as well, but his photographs of Paris at night were beautiful and are what really captured my attention. Look at a few examples, below:

Xoxo,

Diana