Armand (photographer)
Encyclopedia
Armenak Arzrouni who worked under the mononym Armand, was an Armenian
photographer based in Egypt
.
Born in August 1901 in Erzurum
, then part of the Ottoman Empire
, he came with his father to Alexandria, Egypt
in 1907. At school, he had a passion for drawing. He started working as an apprentice
under Nadir, a photographer based in Alexandria. In 1925, he went to Cairo as an assistant to Zola, an Austrian Jewish photographer and renowned portraitist, at his studio in Ard el-Sherif, near Midan Mustafa Kamel street. Zola sent Arzrouni to Austria
to learn about the colorization of black-and-white photographs, as well as airbrush
technique and the use of charcoal
and chalk
. Upon Zola's death in 1930, Arzrouni opened his own studio
in Midan Mustafa Kamel under the name Armand Studio. His father built him a giant enlarger
capable of handling negatives
with large dimensions. By the mid-1950s, his first studio was threatened with destruction, so he opened a second studio in 1956, in Talaat Harb street. He specialized in portrait photography
, and took photographs of politicians, film stars, famous cabaret dancers, as well as members of the royal family
. The 1952 Revolution did not hinder his career, and he continued to take photographs of famous people, notably Gamal Abdel Nasser
and foreign heads of state visiting Egypt. He was especially well known for the elaborate settings of his wedding photographs. He also occasionally received orders for photographs of hotels and department stores. His son Armand worked as his assistant as early as 1960, and took over the studio after his father's death in 1963. He signs his photographs in the same way as his father.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
photographer based in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Born in August 1901 in Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
, then part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, he came with his father to Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in 1907. At school, he had a passion for drawing. He started working as an apprentice
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
under Nadir, a photographer based in Alexandria. In 1925, he went to Cairo as an assistant to Zola, an Austrian Jewish photographer and renowned portraitist, at his studio in Ard el-Sherif, near Midan Mustafa Kamel street. Zola sent Arzrouni to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to learn about the colorization of black-and-white photographs, as well as airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
technique and the use of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
and chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
. Upon Zola's death in 1930, Arzrouni opened his own studio
Photographic studio
A photographic studio is both a workspace and a corporate body. As a workspace it is much like an artist’s studio, but providing space to take, develop, print and duplicate photographs. Photographic training and the display of finished photographs may also be accommodated in a photographic studio...
in Midan Mustafa Kamel under the name Armand Studio. His father built him a giant enlarger
Enlarger
An enlarger is a specialized transparency projector used to produce photographic prints from film or glass negatives using the gelatin silver process, or from transparencies.-Construction:...
capable of handling negatives
Negative (photography)
In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...
with large dimensions. By the mid-1950s, his first studio was threatened with destruction, so he opened a second studio in 1956, in Talaat Harb street. He specialized in portrait photography
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
, and took photographs of politicians, film stars, famous cabaret dancers, as well as members of the royal family
Muhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
. The 1952 Revolution did not hinder his career, and he continued to take photographs of famous people, notably Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
and foreign heads of state visiting Egypt. He was especially well known for the elaborate settings of his wedding photographs. He also occasionally received orders for photographs of hotels and department stores. His son Armand worked as his assistant as early as 1960, and took over the studio after his father's death in 1963. He signs his photographs in the same way as his father.