Karsh Exhibit Captures Spark: ALMA Unveils Gallery

Karsh had a keen apprehension of the function of light in the context of black and white photography and went to great lengths to achieve the prints that express his signature look. His work at a local theater in Ottawa introduced him to the use of incandescent — as opposed to natural — light and he was to use this medium to dramatic effect in his work. For some of his assignments, he and his assistants would transport as much as 200-300 pounds of lighting equipment to a shoot. He also developed a strategy of lighting his subjects’ hands separately from their faces, a technique that deepened the interest of the shot. Karsh made use of a number of large-format cameras, but his favorite instrument was the Calumet 8” x 10”, whose large negative made possible a finer image quality in the printing process. In many instances, he would spend considerable time with his subjects before actually taking any photographs, talking to them, and persuading them to relax. However, in the case of the famous Churchill photo, taken in 1941 after Churchill’s speech at the Canadian parliament, he recounts that he had only a few minutes to catch the essence of the great man.

The darkroom processing of the image was as important to Karsh as the composition and actual taking of the shot. He developed his own negatives and the prints were made through a photogravure process on especially manufactured heavy paper to produce silver gelatin prints. This process made possible a great range in tonality of the final prints, from the deepest blacks to the most brilliant whites and everything in between. He also made extensive use of retouching to heighten or diminish the density of an image. When he signed the original prints, he used a special heavy, soft, black ink.

In all aspects of his work, Karsh must be admired and respected as the consummate professional who mastered both his art and his craft. There is virtually no photographer today working as Karsh did, and with the advent of digital photography, it is highly unlikely that his darkroom skills will ever be replicated.

The show at ALMA, consists of 23 of the 25 images that Estrellita Karsh has given to the museum (two not hung because of lack of space are of Marian Anderson and Jim Hansen, but they will be hung elsewhere in the building). Amongst them are the Churchill photo, portraits of Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, Pablo Casals and others. The exhibit includes several portraits of Armenian subjects including Aram Khachaturian, Vartan Gregorian and Stephen Mugar, Gregorian being the only subject in the show who is still living.

Jerry Fielder, curator and director of the Estate of Yousuf Karsh, who once was Karsh’s assistant, said “These prints were all made from Karsh’s original negatives, which are housed in the archives in Canada. No one can reproduce a Karsh print without permission.”

The opening, which drew a crowd of about 200 people, coincides with the renovation of ALMA’s Bedoukian Gallery by Keith Crippen, head designer of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), who also designed the MFA’s new Art of the Americas Wing. The first floor space has been brightened with new lighting and fresh paint and the gallery is set off from additional space devoted to the display of ALMA’s collection of manuscripts and other historical artifacts. Said Michele Kolligian, ALMA trustee and gala chairperson, “The renovation of the gallery and the Karsh gift will put ALMA in a position to attract more visitors and supporters, non- Armenian as well as Armenian. We are so fortunate to have had a wonderful team of professionals work on this renovation, which includes a new media room, climate controlled display cases and new bookstore space.”