Yousuf Karsh
Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals

© Estate of Yousuf Karsh

Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
ArtistCanadian, born Armenia, 1908–2002
CultureCanadian
Titles
  • Pablo Casals
Date1954, printed 1984
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 19 3/4 × 15 13/16 in. (50.2 × 40.1 cm)
Sheet: 19 3/4 × 15 13/16 in. (50.2 × 40.1 cm)
Mount: 28 × 22 in. (71.1 × 55.9 cm)
Credit LineThe Sonia and Kaye Marvins Portrait Collection, museum purchase funded by Sonia and Kaye Marvins
Object number85.48
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Special Collections
Object Type
Description

Yousuf
Karsh opened his own portrait studio in Ottawa, in
1932,
having
first been introduced to photography by his uncle more than a decade earlier.
From the start, Karsh's abilities earned him a reputation for excellence in the
larger-than-life style of portraiture, which is well suited to a clientele who
could best be described as "people of consequence." His images are
highly formal in nature; the sculptural monumentality inherent in his
portrayals is achieved by adept lighting and staging techniques which in effect
chisel the sitter in bas-relief out of an invariably unpretentious background. Even
though Karsh goes to great lengths to photograph his clients in their own
surroundings rather than in his studio, this practice is more for their
convenience than to provide contextual or environmental information.





Line
rather than substance defines this evocative portrait of the eminent cellist,
Pablo Casals. The bend of Casals's shoulder as he draws the bow across his
instrument and the curve of his back silhouetted against the dimly lit wall
before him are visual equivalents to the soulful musical strains of the cello.




Provenance[Tartt Gallery, Warrenton, Virginia]; purchased by MFAH, 1985.
Exhibition HistoryExhibited: "The Sounds I See: Photographs of Musicians," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Cameron Foundation Gallery, September 20, 2008 - January 19, 2009.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
bottom right on mount below image in ink: Y Karsh
verso of mount lower center a stamp with additions in pencil: © 1954 KARSH, Ottawa / Pablo Casals

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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