Who wouldn't want to gaze upon the faces of the rich, famous, powerful and beautiful?

While Regarding Heroes is an engaging history lesson, the elitism inherent in this exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (on until Jan. 3), and in photographer Yousuf Karsh's body of work as a whole, is balefully unexamined.

Karsh was drawn to 'people of consequence' throughout his career (1932-1992): his goal was to capture the essence of the 'extraordinary person.'

The notion that a photographer can actually capture and convey the true identity of his subject is, unsurprisingly, hotly contested. Although artifice and drama are the hallmarks of Karsh's style, he viewed his use of dramatic lighting and poses as revelatory of his subjects' psyches.

Influenced by his first wife's interest in theatre, Karsh developed a distinctive approach to lighting. Iconic faces emerge from a mysterious sea of black, particularly in images from the '40s and '50s, when Karsh's use of deep shadow was a stylistic constant.

Offering more insight on Karsh than his subjects, recollections of specific shoots accompany many photographs in the exhibition. For instance, a photograph of poet W. H. Auden is appended with the complaint: "He spent two hours talking to my wife (and) smoked incessantly... Meanwhile the light was gone from the garden and I could only take a quick photograph of a beautifully ravaged face."

The adversarial relationship between photographer and subject, as each struggle to control the image, is a fascinating supplement to many of the images - but, sadly, only rarely evident in the formal portraits themselves.

A tightly cropped photograph of Cuban leader Fidel Castro is dominated by his wiry beard and a surprisingly naked shoulder; below it hangs a portrait of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, looking slightly petulant in a leather jacket. One has to wonder who decided on the dress (and undress) of these dignitaries. Karsh's notes on his session with Nikita Khrushchev seem to indicate that the photographer sought to control each image, revealing that Khrushchev at first refused to don a fur coat for his portrait.

Karsh was intent on defining the image of the 'true hero' in his work and no doubt enjoyed basking in the reflected glory of his famous subjects.

Presented in plentiful didactic panels throughout the exhibition, Karsh's own life story seems worthy of the word heroic. A 16-year-old Karsh arrived in Canada in 1924, fleeing persecution as an Armenian Christian in Turkey. Biographies suggest that Karsh rose from humble origins through good, old-fashioned hard work, eventually becoming one of the world's premiere portraitists.

If you want to bask in the moody beauty of the 100 photos arrayed throughout the gallery (and more than just a little celebrity worship), Regarding Heroes is a truly pleasant experience. You will have to shell out $8 for admission, however, as the next 'Family Sunday' (actually open to everyone, regardless of family attachment), when gallery admission is free, is not until Jan. 10, 2010.

Sandee Moore left the mild climes of her B.C. home for the warm embrace of the Winnipeg arts community six years ago. She is an intermedia artist, a former director of Video Pool and occasional arts writer.

YOUSUF KARSH: REGARDING HEROES
Until Jan. 3, 2010, Winnipeg Art Gallery