Gyula Halasz

Gyula Halasz's job and his love of the city, whose streets he often wandered late at night, led to photography. He later wrote that photography allowed him to seize the Paris night and the beauty of the streets and gardens, in rain and mist. Using the name of his birthplace, Gyula Halasz went by the pseudonym “Brassaï” . As Brassaï, he captured the essence of the city in his photographs, publishing his first book of photographs in 1933 titled “Paris de nuit” (“Paris by Night”). His efforts met with great success, resulting in his being called “the eye of Paris” in an essay by his friend Henry Miller. In addition to photos of the seedier side of Paris, he also provided scenes from the life of the city's high society, its intellectuals, its ballet, and the grand operas.



This photo was taken by Halasz in Paris and falls under the category of `candid photograph'. It is centred on the couple but also includes their reflection in the mirror behind them. The background is quite busy which in a formal portrait would be bad to have but as this is candid it is hard to avoid. However the reflecting of the couple in the mirror behind I find to be an interesting touch to this image.





This is a rather different portrait photograph is comparison to some of Halasz's work. The close proximity of the subject to the camera is striking and helps portray an image of age and wisdom. The lighting in this shot comes from the front and slightly to the left, putting some shadow in the palm of the hand. This has lighting has helped bring out the detail in the subject's face, especially in his wrinkles and his eyes. The overriding theme from this photograph seems to be that he is watching us, the eyes focused squarely on the photographer and the fingers wrapped around the eye - almost in such a way as to mimic a camera. The other hand placed as if propping up his head shows that he is almost bored of life and that it has grown to be predictable.