Yousuf Karsh: Hemingway & Giacometti
Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was a renowned Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer, celebrated for his images of world leaders, celebrities and cultural figures. One of the most significant photographers of the twentieth century, Karsh’s portraits are easily recognisable for his bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Audrey Hepburn, Albert Einstein and Muhammad Ali are some of the figures to sit for Karsh, his photographs of these personalities becoming some of their most enduring portraits.
In 1957, Karsh travelled to Cuba to photograph American novelist, Ernest Hemingway. Karsh photographed Hemingway while he still suffering from the effects of a plane accident that occurred during his fourth safari to Africa. Karsh once wrote of their encounter, “I expected to meet in the author a composite of the heroes of his novels. Instead, at his home Finca Vigía near Havana, I found a man of peculiar gentleness, the shyest man I ever photographed – a man cruelly battered by life, but seemingly invincible.” Karsh’s powerful use of light and shadow creates a landscape of resilience and contemplation; every line on his weathered face seems to tell a story, echoing the themes of courage, adventure, and introspection that define his literary legacy.
Another of the photographer’s most famous works is a 1965 portrait of Alberto Giacometti; a haunting masterpiece that captures the essence of the renowned Swiss sculptor and painter. In this evocative image, Giacometti’s stoic expression is imbued with a sense of profound introspection. Through Karsh’s lens, we glimpse not only the physical likeness of the artist, but also the inner turmoil and relentless pursuit of truth that defined his groundbreaking work.
