Jan C. Schlegel

Jan Schlegel is a contemporary German photographer known for his unique black and white images. His creative work is diverse, it reflects the author's deep interest and love for life on our planet in all its forms, in its stunning beauty, touching fragility and crazy diversity. Schlegel made a huge contribution not only to artistic photography but also to the development of photographic printing: the photographer carefully preserves the traditions of black-and-white photography (platinotype, ambrotype, salt and silver-gelatin prints) and boldly creates new ones, adding invented techniques to the collection of world photography, which makes his works not only special and recognizable, but also durable. Each print is unique, as it is created by the hand of the master.

The artist's path to his profession was not an easy one, although everything seemed to be predetermined from the very beginning. Jan Schlegel was born in 1965 in the Black Forest in Germany. From the age of 9 he started taking photographs. At that time, it was mostly portraits of classmates and just acquaintances. "I got a camera and I started just taking pictures. It was as natural to me as breathing, as a given from birth. Photography has always been my passion," Schlegel says.

At high-school, he took a photography class and worked in a darkroom, becoming more and more immersed in the craft. At the age of 16, Schlegel buys his first SLR camera, the money for which he earned by helping pick cucumbers on the farm. After school he successfully studies at the Academy of Applied Electronics in Tettnang for almost 3 years, specializing in radio engineering, where he shows great potential as a future specialist, but at the same time he continues to work in his photography.

A few days before the final exams, Schlegel decides to leave the Academy, despite the prospects and already existing offers from employers, because he sees himself in another field. He associates his future only with photography, in which, by the way, the knowledge acquired at the Academy will be applied. Schlegel undergoes professional training in photography.

At the same time, a significant event occurs: the artist wins an AGFA international photo contest in the “portrait” category and as a prize receives the opportunity to participate in the seminar of his idol, photographer Walter Schels.

Then Schlegel works in a photo studio in Lindau and at the same time in his free time does fashion photography. Among his clients are Armani, Vogue, Mercedes-Benz and many others, but the photographer soon becomes disillusioned with commercial projects, as the work does not bring him moral satisfaction, and Schlegel gives all his photographic equipment, negatives and laboratory to a former colleague.

The desire to discover himself and find his place in life leads the artist to the Christian non-governmental organization, where he will work for the next twenty-four years in leadership. As part of a humanitarian mission Schlegel goes to Africa, where he is engaged in community service: he helps in the construction and opening of orphanages, building wells, participates in improving the life of the local population. The vibrant identity of the tribes impresses the artist so much that his passion for photography is reignited and becomes unstoppable. The next time Schlegel returns to Africa as a photographer, it becomes his way of life. After four years of "silence," the artist makes a strong statement, looking at the world through the lens as a mature person with a wealth of personal experience, and he has something to say to the world. He will later return to Africa more then a hundred times, living for extended periods in tribes across different countries, resulting in a series of beautiful works and deep relationships with many people.

Schlegel is easygoing, travels a lot, and lives a "non-tourist" life during prolonged expeditions within the ordinary routines of his subjects, establishing trusting relationships with them. The master, possessing the gift of empathy himself, cannot help but use it in his photography, which makes his work special—this is his secret.

A special place in his work is devoted to portraits (series ESSENSE, TRIBES OF OUR GENERATION, MIRROW AND WINDOW…), where you can feel the presence of the author himself, his invisible connection with the character through the lens. In these pictures Schlegel reveals to us the special beauty and identity of people of different ages, nationalities and professions. The photographs are characterized by depth and expressiveness. A characteristic stylistic technique for Schlegel is the use of a hand pained background, which helps to focus on the individuality of the character, cutting off everything superfluous. The camera is just a mediator in the dialog between photographer and model. "A portrait shows much more than just appearance - it shows the inneressence, the core, something pure and fragile. Portraiture requires a tremendous amount of trust. A portrait invites you to explore, to know yourself on an intimate level." This is how Schlegel shares his experience. The artist himself considers his art as a confession about himself, his intentions, emotions and values.

Schlegel's creation amazes with its versatility. Very interesting are the works of the master from the series “Of Monster & Dragon”, “Of Aliens, Mermaids & Medusas”, “Life on Earth” (made with a microscope). They reveal to us fragile microcosms that are amazing in their diversity. Creatures invisible to the human eye, such as tiny plankton, elegant jellyfish or extravagant butterflies, are transformed into alien creatures, mysterious giants and huge dragons. The photographs also have a deep social message: they remind us of the importance of living in harmony with the Nature, appreciating it and preserving it for future generations.

Schlegel achieves the maximum artistic expression of its prints through its delicate approach to their creation. These processes are very labor-intensive and resemble magic, but calibrated to the milligram.
The master works with large format cameras and each of his films is processed and printed by hand in a darkroom. This gives a special value to his works.

Alongside the classic silver-gelatin photographic printing technique, the artist also works with platinotype, using his own formula utilizing iridium and rhodium. Today Schlegel is probably the only photographer in the world who uses these two noble metals together with platinum. He also uses Polaroid materials and creates 8x10 Polaroid prints himself, as these materials are no longer manufactured. Also his technical arsenal includes working with colloidal solution, creating glass negatives and ambrotypes by hand.

Schlegel also works with a technique of selective toning of hand-created silver-gelatin prints. Creating this technique took two years of hard work. A unique chemical toner and hand crafted process was invented to control the contrast and color of the toned areas, making them brown while other areas remain black and white.

Today Schlegel is still traveling and making beautiful pictures, he is full of inspiration and new ideas. The master successfully presents his works at venues in Europe and beyond, holds solo exhibitions, actively participates in international art fairs, where his photographs are well-deservedly recognized. Among them are PARIS PHOTO, LONDON PHOTO, ART STAGE SINGAPORE, CONTEXT ART MIAMI, FREEZE LONDON, MODERN ART FAIR PARIS and others.

Each of Schlegel's photographs is a window into a world where light and shadow play a crucial role, revealing the inner essence of each character, be it a strong man or a decrepit moth with worn wings. This is a story about the visible and invisible, about community and identity, about the uniqueness of all life on Earth. In his pictures, there is only pure but fragile beauty, captured forever.