Brassaï, 1899-1984 (Hungarian photographer, sculptor, filmmaker)

* Brassaï ― the Transylvanian photographer who achieved fame with his first monograph Paris de nuit (Paris by Night), a collection of his dark images ― had an unaspected conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon in Scorpio.

George Brassaï (pseudonym of Gyula Halász) (9 September 1899 — 8 July 1984) was a Hungarian photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the World Wars. In the early 21st century, the discovery of more than 200 letters and hundreds of drawings and other items from the period 1940–1984 has provided scholars with material for understanding his later life and career.

Read more from his Wikipedia biography.

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NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Halász Gyula, 9 September 1899, 21:00 (9 p.m.) (-1:44:24), Brassó, Transylvania, Austria-Hungary, (now Brasov, Romania) (45n39, 25e37). ASC: 26 Taurus. RR: A/B (quoted from him in his autobiography). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield (c) quotes Marja Warehime, Brassai: Images of Culture and the Surrealist Observer (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1996), p. 140: "Brassai's own experience provided him with events that had a certain formal consistency: 'I was born in Transylvania on the ninth of September 1899 at 9:00 in the evening,' he wrote in 'Memories of my Childhood.'"

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Stefan Lorant (Filmmaker, photojournalist, author)

* Stefan Lorant's mother wrote in her Jewish prayer book: 'Stefan our Son born 1901, February 22nd, 6.00 a.m. God's Blessing should accompany his dear life.'

Stefan (Istvan) Lorant (February 22, 1901 in Budapest, Hungary - November 14, 1997 in Rochester, Minnesota) was a pioneering Hungarian-American filmmaker, photojournalist, and author.

After completing high school in his native Hungary in 1919, Lorant moved to Germany, where he made his mark in films and photojournalism. His first film, The Life of Mozart, established him as a filmmaker, and he went on to make 14 films in Vienna and Berlin, some of which he wrote, directed, and photographed. He claimed to have given Marlene Dietrich her first film test, and though he rejected her for the part, they remained lifelong friends. Lorant's abilities in writing and still photography led to the editorship of the Münchner Illustrierte Presse, one of Germany's finest picture magazines.

Opposed to Adolf Hitler, Lorant was imprisoned right after Hitler came to power. Released after six months, he made his way to England, where he wrote I Was Hitler's Prisoner, a memoir that sold out many printings. He edited the Weekly Illustrated, a popular British picture magazine, then founded Lilliput, made famous by his clever picture juxtapositions, as in Neville Chamberlain versus the llama. On October 1, 1938, Lorant co-founded with publisher Sir Edward G. Hulton the first great British picture magazine, Picture Post. During this time, Lorant published a Picture Post Special about the United States.

Failing to obtain British citizenship, Lorant moved to Lenox, Massachusetts in July 1940, where he lived the remainder of his life. Tom Hopkinson succeeded Lorant as editor of Picture Post.

Read more from his Wikipedia biography.

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HOROSCOPE NOTES

A mutual reception between Mercury in Pisces and Neptune in Gemini could not be more apt for the "godfather of photojournalism."

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NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: 22 February 1901, 06:00 (6 a.m.) CET (-1), Budapest, Hungary (47n30, 19e05). ASC: 13 Aquarius. RR=AA (from mother's prayer book). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield (c) quotes Michael Hallett, Stefan Lorant: Godfather of Photojournalism (Scarecrow Press, 2006), pp. 4 & 14: "I [Stefan] was born in Budapest." & "Stefan's mother made the following handwritten entries in Hungarian in her Jewish prayer book: 'Stefan our Son born 1901, February 22nd, 6.00 a.m. God's Blessing should accompany his dear life. Our Son Imre born 1902, October 3rd, 7.00 pm. The eternal's blessing should be with him during his long life. Our Son George born 1905, September 3rd, 11.00 a.m. He should develop in mind and strength to become a smart man to bring us maximum happiness.'"

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These blog posts and emails are for private recipients only. If it comes to your attention that these posts are being transferred to public media such as a mailing list please notify us.

Copyright Sy Scholfield. All rights reserved in all media.

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