The respected Canadian portrait artist JOUSUF KARSH became synonymous with masterful and probing black and white portraits of exquisite technical quality. Working with a large format 8"x10" camera he photographed the leading figures of the day. As a young man he briefly worked at stage lighting in theatre and we can see this in many of his portraits. He was known for peeling back the layers to expose (and photograph) the essence of a person. Black and white's ability to pare away distractions was perfect for his mission.
Born in Armenia, he was heard to say that he emigrated to Canada with 'nothing but his good manners.' They served him well.
Karsh felt that: “Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can. The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world.”
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| Francois Mauriac photo by JOUSUF KARSH http://www.karsh.org/ |
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