Wolfgang Lechthaler
He began photographing at the age of twelve, initially using roll film with a simple Agfa Box in 6x9 format, naturally in black and white. With a fixed focal length, only two preset apertures, and a slider for a yellow filter that adds depth to a cloudy sky, he learned the fundamentals: selecting a composition by changing his position—moving forward and backward, kneeling, lying down, climbing ladders—and above all, he learned to be frugal with the expensive film, carefully considering three times whether a subject was truly essential, making every effort to ensure that the shot would succeed before clicking the shutter, rather than taking a dozen digital snapshots in the hope that something usable would emerge. In the darkroom, he eagerly followed the development process of a print in the developer bath, gaining knowledge in areas like solmization, where brief overexposure can achieve a reversal of the positive-negative relationship.
Later, color and reflex cameras came into play. Instead of a yellow filter, he used a red 1.5, and the lenses were interchangeable; by changing the focal length, he could achieve both converging building lines and flattened faces. Close-up lenses allowed for previously unknown effects in micro and macro photography. Yet the essential element, the perspective, remained crucial: the conscious act of seeing, whether from a close distance or far away.
For Wolfgang Lechthaler, working with color became a profession. He worked for Degussa on the development of colors used in applications ranging from screen printing to porcelain painting. Patents still in use worldwide can be traced back to him. Viscosity, flow properties, and drying times depend on molecular chain length, and this engagement may have contributed to Lechthaler's perspective on his surroundings, which spans from immense attention to detail to a broadly conceived image iconography; he captured both micro and macro cosmos, so to speak.
Born and raised in Frankfurt am Main, a city "full of curiosities" since the time of Goethe, he has always seen his hometown as the nucleus of his work, accompanying him on his excursions—up and down the Main River, into the surrounding low mountain ranges, and overseas.
Three large-format photo books were created about Frankfurt, which he wandered through for decades, along with four more about the surrounding areas he explored with his camera, as well as series of images from his study trips. He has been featured in numerous exhibitions, with several solo shows dedicated to him, and his images can be seen in hotel lobbies and on business walls—and now here in the Kulturpass-onLine Gallery as well.