He was the child of an Ottoman Armenian family: Who is Yousuf Karsh?
At the age of sixteen, his family sent him to live with his uncle, who was a photographer, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The portrait of Sir Winston Churchill he took in 1941 successfully reflected the stubborn determination of the British leader and gained worldwide fame.
Yousuf Karsh (b. December 23, 1908, Mardin, Ottoman Empire – d. July 13, 2002, Boston, USA) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portrait works depicting important people of the age.
He was the child of an Ottoman Armenian family.
At the age of sixteen, his family sent him to live with his uncle, who was a photographer, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Later, he went to the USA and worked with a famous painter and portrait photographer in Boston between 1928 and 1931. In the meantime, he studied at an art school for a while.
Yousuf Karsh, (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was an Armenian-Canadian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.
He returned to Canada in 1932 and joined a photographer in Ottawa. He later rented his studio. To show his love for his new country, Canada, he named his business Karsh from Ottawa. In 1935 he was appointed official portrait photographer for the Canadian government.
The portrait of Sir Winston Churchill he took in 1941 successfully reflected the stubborn determination of the British leader and gained worldwide fame. Karsh went to England in 1943 and photographed the country's prominent people, including royal family members, statesmen, artists, and writers. He then continued to shoot portraits of world leaders.
In 1960, he held solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, and the University of Natal in South Africa. His works were exhibited in the Ontario Pavilion at the 1967 World's Fair Expo 67 in Montreal.
He took care to emphasize power, power, creativity, intelligence, and beauty in his portraits. He passed away in Boston in 2002.
Books
Faces of Destiny (1946)
Portraits of Greatness (1959)
In Search of Greatness (1962)
Karsh Portfolio (1967)
Faces of Our Time (1971)
Karsh Portraits (1976)
Karsh Canadians (1978)
Karsh: A Fifty-Year Retrospective (1983)
Karsh: American Legends (1992)
Portrait in Light and Shadow: The Life of Yousuf Karsh (2007)
-------------------------------
On Photography: Yousuf Karsh, 1908-2002
https://photofocus.com/inspiration/on-photography-yousuf-karsh-1908-2002/