ERNST HAAS
(1921-1986)
Ernst Haas was an Austrian-American photojournalist who was a pioneer in color photography. During his forty-year career he not only used the camera to tell a story, but to visually express his creativity through bold, abstract and impressionistic images.
Haas was raised in the grand culture of Vienna before World War II. His parents placed a high value on education and the arts, and encouraged his creative pursuits from an early age.
His father, an avid amateur photographer, tried to inspire his son to pursue photography, but Haas had no interest in cameras until he was nearly twenty, when he started going through old family negatives after his father died. Haas was taken more by painting and drawing and studying things like poetry, philosophy, music, literature and science, which later informed his beliefs about the creative potential for photography.
Haas once said:
“I never really wanted to be a photographer. It slowly grew out of the compromise of a boy who desired to combine two goals—explorer or painter. I wanted to travel, see and experience. What better profession could there be than the one of a photographer, almost a painter in a hurry, overwhelmed by too many constantly changing impressions? But all my inspirational influences came much more from all the arts than from photo magazines.”
World War II complicated Haas’ education. He tried to go to medical school, but was only able to complete one year before laws changed and he was forced out due to his Jewish ancestry.
In 1946, at age 25, he obtained his first camera by trading a 20-pound block of margarine for a Rolleiflex on the Vienna black market. With that, he documented the war’s effects in Vienna, approaching the city as a reporter with a sharp, but empathetic eye. His photographs show the enduring human spirit in the face of a devastated urban environment.
When Haas was thirty, he moved to the United States, which is where he started experimenting with color film. In 1953 Life published a groundbreaking 24-page color photo essay of his work on New York City, which was the first time such a large color photo feature was ever published in the magazine. Nine years later Haas became the first person to ever have a single-artist exhibition of color photography at the Museum of Modern Art.
Haas lived in New York and traveled the world on assignments as a member of Magnum Photos, a prestigious international cooperative of photographers whose founders included the likes of Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
In 1971 Haas produced The Creation, one of the best-selling photography book ever published, with over 350,000 copies sold.
A critic once wrote of Ernst Haas’ photography:
“Haas was a lyric poet pursuing a photographic equivalent of gestural drawing, utilizing such photographic effects as softness of focus, selective depth of field, and overexposure to telling effect.”
It makes me especially happy to share Ernst Haas’ photography with you because it’s some of my favorite work, and also because my husband, Jeffrey Aaronson, was heavily influenced and inspired by Haas when he took a workshop from him in Aspen when was first starting his career. Click HERE to read that story, if you missed it.
Jeffrey remembers humorous moments like giving Haas a ride into town because this world-renowned photographer didn’t own a driver’s license. He also said, ”He was funny, gregarious and quick-witted. He loved women and he loved to weave tales, which immediately drew you in, no matter what the subject. When he taught, he usually talked more about the importance of art and seeing than the technical aspects of photography. One of my favorite moments was when he chuckled and told me in his thick Austrian accent, ‘My father didn’t think I’d amount to anything because I often liked to lay on the couch, just thinking and daydreaming.’”
Even though Haas only lived to 65, he clearly amounted to something special, and left an indelible mark on the art world.
This is one of my favorite Ernst Haas books, which I highly recommend. In fact, it was one of the first gifts I ever gave Jeffrey, knowing his connection to and appreciation of Haas. If you find it in a bookstore, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Fascinating. I never heard of Haas but what extraordinary work. Btw, may I suggest that next time you do one of these guess who posts (which I love), could you include just one of their photos? You might be afraid you’ll give it away, but unless its a famous photo like the one of the sailor kissing the girl in Times Square when WW2 ended, I doubt very much you will. Most of us (at least me) are not that savvy when it comes to photographers. See just one photo though might be a nice tease in fact. Anyway, just a thought. I still love when you do this! You’re giving us quite an education.
I thought about adding a photograph, but I was afraid I’d give it away. Next time I’ll be sure to put one in (perhaps a lesser known image). I’m glad you’ve been enjoying learning about all these photo legends. It’s absolutely my pleasure to put these together. I always learn something new too.
Great story. I vaguely recall Haas being in Aspen, but didn’t pay enough attention at that time. Thanks.
Jane, so many amazing people came and went (and still do) from Aspen that I can easily see why Haas’ visits might have been blurred in to the mix of talent. Jeffrey reminded me that he actually took two workshops from Haas, both of which he feels extremely lucky to have experienced. There is no greater gift than having the right person drop into your life at the right time–especially one who is excited and passionate about sharing his vision.