Chargesheimer (Karl Hargesheimer)

Chargesheimer (Karl Hargesheimer) Konrad Adenauer 1955 Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print on Agfa-Portriga-Rapid paper. Solarisation. 40 x 30.3 cm. Signed and dated in pencil on the verso. Unique. - Light traces of usage.. Literature Bodo von Dewitz (ed.), Chargesheimer. Bohemien aus Köln. 1924-1971, exhib.cat. Museum Ludwig, Köln, Cologne 2007, ill. pp. 111 (variants) When Spiegel published a variation of this portrait of the then Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in the election year 1957, it triggered the most heated discussions. Chargesheimer was said to have wanted to “disavow” the politician by photographing him at close range and mercilessly laying bare every single pore and the deep circles under his eyes on his aged face. The shadowed eyes seemed to the critics to be lifeless, like those of a “mummy”. Compared to the published portrait with its perceived “diabolic” exposure, our picture has an even more radical lighting; here the likeness of Adenauer seems to float in front of a completely black background. The photograph offered for sale in our auction is a large-format, unique print which Chargesheimer, known for his love of experimentation, partially re-exposed during the development process in the darkroom. From the estate of the artist Franz Ruffing, the sheet owes its unique impression to the solarization effect achieved this way.