Yousuf Karsh began his career in photography as an apprentice to the Boston studio photographer John Garo. Very early, he determined that his goal was to portray the famous people of his day and to transmit the idea of greatness and genius, as well as the individuality of his sitters. Bold use of light and dark contrasts augments the power of his portraits, and large negatives give them a crisp presence. His subjects typically dominate the foreground and have heroic monumentality. Here, Alexander Calder is shown with his sculpture. The metal disks and star shape stand out against the darkness like a heavenly constellation, while the artist's head seems to float in space like a rugged planet.

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