Brassai Research and Pastiche Analysis

Brassai, born Gyula Halász originally trained as an artist dabbling in drawing, painting and writing and his initial views were that photography could and would never be a fine art form. In World War II, Brassai fought against France and the Allie, and after wards joined a group of other Hungarian writers and artists at which point he worked as a journalist.      

In 1924 Brassai immigrated to Paris where he found his perfect surroundings to work as a writer, artist and journalist mainly in coffee houses. In the late 20s/early 30s however, Brassai finally turned his hand to photography; producing his first book ‘Paris by Night’. His work was a vision of how life was being lived at this time in France post World War II.

He used a variety of plate cameras with his first camera being a Boigtlander Bergheil and after that a Rolleiflex. Brassai produced static, motionless images using particular technical choices; he didn’t take endless shots of the same scene but to limit himself to one or two exposures, this makes his photographs look very deliberate and considered.

“There are many photographs which are full of life but which are confusing and difficult to remember. It is the force of an image which matters.”

Analysis of the image 'Paris After Dark, No. 27, 1933'

Image description:

- Brassai’s book ‘Paris after Dark’ was concerned with the lives lived within the city; this included the image ‘Paris after Dark, No. 27, 1933’ Which I am creating a pastiche of as part of ‘The City’ unit.

- The photograph depicts a dark, cobbled street lined with ‘Hotel’ neon signs which reflect off the smooth cobbles. A lone figure can be seen disappearing into the blackness in the background having emerged possibly from one of the dark doorways lining the street. The bright sign lights and illuminated windows gives this sense of life within a small windy backstreet; it’s a different way of viewing these places which during the day would probably be filled with people going about their business.  

- The image has quite an atmospheric feel especially with the dark, shady figure in the background. The buildings tower over the camera from all sides creating quite an imposing scene especially with the building in the background boxing the image in not allowing the audience to see into the horizon which makes the location very anonymous.

Visual choices- focus, distance, lighting, camera position etc.

- The Depth of field in the image is quite average, although I would say most of the image is in focus I wouldn’t say it has a really high F. stop. This is because if the F stop was high then the exposure time would be increased and therefore the figure in the background would be a lot more blurred than it is.

- However looking more closely at the image the exposure time would probably not have to be very long as the vast amount of lights filling the street would have been enough to reduce the exposure to possibly seconds.

- Due to the time period it is obvious that the ISO would have been low, the image is quite dark with lots of black and grey but not a lot of white apart from the bright white lights.   

- The weather conditions are quite calm and clear from what can be seen of the sky; due to the shine of the cobbles however there could have possibly been rain earlier in the day.

- The camera is positioned on the edge of the pathway angled slightly into the narrow road looking down the curved street. The camera is angled looking a little towards the sky showing the vastness of the buildings lining the street.

Process & techniques

- The image is a black and white analogue silver print printed in 1933.

Social & cultural background

- ‘Paris after Dark’ was Brassai’s first set of images within his photographic career which he began after emigrating from Hungary in the mid-1920s.  

- He was a writer, journalist and artist which inspired his photography later which are all quite artistic in composition and lighting.

- It is possible that Brassai’s work was influenced by the great depression affecting France from about 1931 through the following decade. His images taken at night when the streets are empty could be a metaphor for the lack of money and trade in France; however it could also be highlighting the robustness of France during this period due to the continuing trade shown through the lit up Hotel signs.

My feeling & reaction

- When I look at the image a feel a slight sense of seediness as although the street is lined with Hotel signs so is therefore a busy street it also looks like a backstreet especially with the shady figure loitering in the background disappearing into the night.

- The bright lights encased by the window frames at the end of the street make me very inquisitive and wonder what the building is; whether in actual fact the photograph is taken during Winter (possible due to the coat worn by the figure) and the image is actually not taken that late at night and therefore they are houses.

- I can also imagine a roaring trade behind the hotel doors, the bright lights give this sense of optimism, modernism and forward-thinking in contrast with the old, narrow cobbled street they line. 

- I have used this analysis of the image to create a pastiche which I think mirrors these sort of ideologies I feel Brassai may have had, I also thought very carefully about the composition of the image, the time of day, weather conditions and camera settings.   

- I will make a blog post about my pastiche shoot and the final image print shortly.