Michael Schmidt: Natur

The works of photographer Michael Schmidt are characterized by the persistent quest for finding new approaches to reality through photography. His oeuvre also includes works that the artist created by reworking images from his archives since the mid-1990s. In the interval between the source material, the revised artistic criteria, and new compilations of the works, Schmidt enables a different perspective on his original subjects. This editorial process, of not merely selecting, but also of rearranging the photographs, ultimately leads to novel interpretations.

Schmidt employed this working method in “Natur” – a project finalized shortly before his death in 2014. The chosen title indicates that the artist goes beyond the mere depiction of a specific landscape, but rather, fashions an idea of nature through a distinctive pictorial language. With their wealth of silver tones and rich greys, the images are imbued with an almost physical weight – a sense of gravity or lightness. The selection of subjects, the employment of focus and blur, and above all, the implementation of light, convey an existential understanding of nature and its significance for us.