Xavier Haas, (1907–1950) was a French painter and engraver. Though born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

of Alsacian descent, he is most associated with Breton nationalist art and design.

Early life

When he was a child Haas contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

in Alsace, which partly disabled him. Shortly afterwards his father was gassed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Xavier Haas, Biographie
/ref> In 1919 he was taken to

Sarzeau Sarzeau (; br, Sarzhav) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. It is located on the Rhuys peninsula between the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean. History The area around the Morbihan has been occupi ...

, in

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...

Brittany, for a long stay in the hamlet of Lan Hoëdic to recuperate from the effects of polio. While there he met

Xavier de Langlais Xavier de Langlais (April 26, 1906 in Sarzeau – June 15, 1975) was a Breton painter, printmaker and writer. He usually signed his work with the name Langleiz, a Breton language version of his surname. Early career Langlais studied art in Nante ...

, who became his lifelong friend. Haas participated in the founding of the ''Association des paralysés de France'' (French Association of the Paralyzed) and its newspaper ''Faire Face'' (Face Up).

Brittany

Haas studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Returning to Brittany, he joined the Breton nationalist art movement

Seiz Breur Seiz Breur was an artistic movement founded in 1923 in Brittany. Although it adopted the symbolic name ''seiz breur'', meaning ''seven brothers'' in the Breton language, this did not refer to the number of members, but to the title of a folk-story. ...

in 1936. At the ''Exposition Internationale de Paris'' in 1937, he created a "diorama of Brittany" for the Pavilion of Brittany. He also participated in the Breton Christian Art Workshop, founded in 1929 by

James Bouillé James Bouillé (14 February 1894 – 22 June 1945) was a French architect based in Brittany. Biography Bouillé was born in Guingamp (Côtes-d'Armor) He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, until he was mobilized after the outbreak of t ...

and Xavier de Langlais. As part of their work in 1936 he created the frames for the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

of the church Our Lady of La Baule (

Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

). As an illustrator, Haas produced mostly monochrome engravings, but also made multi-block colour prints. He illustrated over 60 stories in the journal "La Bretagne" and a large number of stories and poems in the children's magazine "Ololé". He also illustrated

Danio ''Danio'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae found in South and Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquaria. They are generally characterised by a pattern of horizontal stripes, rows of spots or vertical bars. Some species ...

's history of Brittany. Along with other members of Seiz Breur, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Haas was associated with the collaborationist

Breton National Party The Breton National Party (French ''Parti National Breton'', Breton ''Strollad Broadel Breizh'') was a nationalist party in Brittany that existed from 1931 to 1944. The party was disbanded after the liberation of France in World War II, because of ...

. He illustrated their literature during this period. He had a specially close friendship with the composer Georges Arnoux and the Alsatian painter Georges Cornelius, who was based at

Ploubazlanec Ploubazlanec (; br, Plaeraneg) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. Historically its economy relied on fishing. Fishermen in the 19th century and early 20th century went to Iceland aboard sailing ship ...

in Brittany. Xavier de Langlais said of him, "Beneath his frail appearance, he hid a heart of rare richness. His heart was simple and its affection certain. He was, above all, a friend."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hass, Xavier 1907 births 1950 deaths Engravers from Paris Breton nationalists French illustrators 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French decorative artists Breton artists