Karsh : Beyond the Camera

Travis, David; Yousuf Karsh

ISBN 10: 1567924387 / ISBN 13: 9781567924381

Published by David R Godine, 2012

About this Item

In August and September of 1988, Yousuf Karsh's long-time assistant, Jerry Fielder, sat down with the master photographer and taped over nine hours of recollections of the many portrait sessions he'd experienced in one of the greatest careers in history. Karsh spoke of his sitters and his rags-to-riches life, including much that had never before been revealed or recorded. Previously, Karsh had often paired his full-page portraits with stories of his encounters with famous sitters. However, as his oeuvre grew, the photographs soon eclipsed the commentary, and his essays were often edited down to captions.Drawing from the newly rediscovered 1988 recordings, Karsh: Beyond the Camera reestablishes the original presentation of Karsh's work, pairing each photograph with the story of its making on the facing page. Published in an affordable small format paperback with flaps, Karsh's portraits are elucidated and complemented both by his own recollections and by the text of veteran curator David Travis. The resulting book, with its chronological rather than thematic arrangement of portraits, is a study of Karsh's artistic and stylistic development, offering the reader an unparalleled tour through the greatest images of the photographer's life work. As much as Karsh wrote about his portrait sessions, he rarely revealed what he thought about himself. Travis constructs the compelling history of how a brilliant technician behind the camera was able to go beyond the studio trappings to plumb the psychological realm all great portrait photographers must navigate and master. Although Karsh had a deep understanding of the human psyche, he worked on an emotional level rather than an analytical one. Thus, his stories seldom addressed what he thought about his artistic experiences. This essential element of Karsh's work is what David Travis locates and fills in, drawing not only from the anecdotes themselves, but from the one thing that has been missing from all publications prior to this: the photographer's voice.

Seller Inventory # 99936

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Karsh : Beyond the Camera
• Publisher: David R Godine
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567924387
• ISBN 13: 9781567924381
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This book draws on interviews with the master photographer himself, this is a fascinating volume repatriates some of Karsh's most iconic portraits with the stories behind him.

About the Author

A renowned curator, David Travis has written extensively about modern­ist photography. In 1975, he founded the Department of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago. During a thirty-five-year career, he organized more than 150 exhibitions, which toured museums in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and he has published many foundational texts in the field.