Lucca Chmel

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Lucca Chmel (* November 5, 1911 in Vienna ; † March 16, 1999 ibid), born Lucia Maria Chmel , was an Austrian photographer who made a name for herself primarily through her architectural photography in the 1950s to 1960s. With her recordings she was a chronicler and interpreter of the Austrian architectural development of this time. She photographed for well-known architects such as Erich Boltenstern , Oswald Haerdtl and Roland Rainer .

biography

Childhood and youth

Born as Lucia Chmel, however, she was only called Lucca by her family. She later used Lucca as the name for her work and publications.

Lucca Chmel spent her first childhood years with her family in Vienna. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after the First World War , the supply situation in Vienna became more and more difficult and the family tried to adapt to the changed economic conditions. A house in Schärding am Inn in Upper Austria was bought. From 1919, Lucca grew up in a rural area.

Chmel was taught consistently as a private student, but repeatedly took exams in public schools. From 1923 to 1924 she attended the private elementary school for girls run by the OSF School Sisters in Salzburg and lived in the associated educational institution. Here she received piano lessons in addition to the education in order and decency. From September 1925 she attended the educational institute of the English Misses in Neuhaus am Inn and from April 1926 then also the secondary school for girls. In addition to the general education subjects, she also received lessons in bookkeeping , shorthand and typing . Lucca graduated from there in 1928 .

Studies, training and teaching

Initially it was her goal to become a painter and to be accepted at the Vienna Academy of the Arts . She received lessons from Hans Schachinger from 1929 to 1931 and successfully passed the entrance examination. In the meantime, however, she had already become enthusiastic about photography and made the decision to develop further in this direction. However, it wasn't just artistic reasons that brought her to this decision. The family's financial situation (the house in Schärding had meanwhile been sold again and she and her family lived in Vienna again) made it necessary for Lucca Chmel to be able to stand financially on her own two feet.

From September 1931 to July 1933 she attended the second and third year of “Photography” at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (“Graphische” for short) in Vienna. An important teacher and mentor at this time was Rudolf Koppitz .

As early as 1932, photos of her were published in the magazine Wiener Magazin . After completing her studies in 1933, she worked as a freelancer for the magazine Die Bühne .

Since her next goal was the master craftsman examination, Lucca Chmel worked for the next three years from July 1933 to August 1936 in the R. Pokorny studio in Vienna. The focus of the work was on portrait photography . On November 30, 1936, she passed the master craftsman examination.

On January 1, 1937, she was appointed assistant at the "Graphische". This gave her a secure income and freedom for her freelance work as a photographer. In 1938 she was given the opportunity to lease the R. Pokorny studio. The previous tenant, the Jew Hermi Friedmann, emigrated to Colombia and recommended her former employee Lucca Chmel as the new tenant to the owners.

Own studio

In February 1939, Lucca Chmel acquired the Atelier Foto Clairon , as the previous owner gave up her photography work in Vienna due to her marriage. The new studio was named Lichtbild Lucca Chmel . With that she ended her teaching at the "Graphische".

In March 1939, Chmel also moved into the apartment that was attached to the studio. She now mainly worked in portrait photography and the studio's order situation developed well. With the outbreak of World War II, there was an increased need for family and portrait photos for the separated family members.

Through portrait photography she was commissioned to take pictures of the German actor Otto Fee during his guest appearance in Vienna as Frederick the Great in the comedy Between Evening and Morning . As she was successful with this, Chmel was commissioned to do all of the stage photography for the comedy and the German folk theater . She also worked many times for the theater in der Josefstadt . These photos were mainly published in the magazines Die Bühne and Die Pause .

Through the numerous contacts to the theater, portrait photography in the studio was also strengthened. Photos of theater greats such as Vilma Degischer , Klaramaria Skala , Maria Eis , Karl Skraup , OW Fischer and Ewald Balser were taken in the studio .

Lucca Chmel was also active in the field of fashion photography and also in demand for the photography of art objects. In the winter of 1944/45, she photographed the late Gothic choir stalls of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna . Only two months after the last recordings, the choir stalls burned completely.

In her free time, without any special assignments, Lucca Chmel devoted herself to landscape photography .

From 1945

Lucca Chmel's studio had survived the war damage without any significant damage. The roof structure , the belfry and the organ of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna were destroyed in April 1945, and Lucca Chmel devoted himself to the photographic documentation of the ruins and took part in the clean-up work. The result was a series of several hundred photos, which were later published in two illustrated books. She was able to publish her multiple landscape photographs, which she had collected in her previous work, in the illustrated book “Bilderbuch Österreich”.

The unmarried Lucca Chmel gave birth to her daughter Lucia Veronika Chmel on April 13, 1949, whom she then raised alone. As early as 1948 she was working for Oswald Haerdtl, Anton Potyka, Karl Schwanzer and Carl Witzmann. From 1950 onwards she was able to win many other important architects as clients. In the mid-1950s, Lucca Chmel had up to four employees. She works mainly in Vienna. The spectrum of her work ranged from model shots to photos of facilities as well as exterior shots of shops, cafés, restaurants, cinemas, private apartments, public buildings and representative rooms, settlements, industrial and transport buildings to sacred buildings. In the 1960s, too, she was able to count other architects from a younger generation among her clients.

Lucca Chmel retired in November 1972 and handed over the studio to her daughter. She only took photos in her free time and attended lectures and traveled to excavation sites and monuments. Lucca Chmel died on March 16, 1999 in Vienna at the age of 87.

Working method

Lucca Chmel preferred glass plate negatives for architectural photography. She developed in her own laboratory and was therefore able to retouch the negative. For her photos she often chose unusual perspectives and worked very specifically with light and shadow. The lighting was very time-consuming for her interior shots.

Important work for selected architects

From 1945 Lucca Chmel worked for well-known, above all Viennese architects. Below are some selected orders.

  • Boardrooms Dorotheum Vienna indoor shots, for Anton Potyka
  • Representation rooms of the Federal Chancellery Vienna 1950, for Oswald Haertl
  • Lido Gänsehäufel Vienna 1950, for Max Fellerer and Eugen Wörle
  • Cobenzl excursion restaurant in 1951, for Anton Potyka
  • Ventilwerke Hoerbiger Vienna 1951, for Theiss & Jaksch
  • Exhibition pavilion of the company Felten & Guilleaume Vienna 1953, for Oswald Haertl
  • National Bank Linz 1953, for Erich Boltenstern
  • Ring tower of Wiener Städtische Versicherung 1955, for Erich Boltenstern
  • Wiener Staatsoper interior shots 1955, for Erich Boltenstern
  • Plenary hall of the Austrian National Council Vienna 1956, for Max Fellerer and Eugen Wörle
  • Vienna International Airport : Architectural model 1956, photo series 1960, photo series 1970, for Fritz Pfeffer
  • Nordstern House Vienna 1957, 1958, 1960, for Theis & Jaksch
  • Historical Museum of the City of Vienna 1958–1961, for Oswald Haertl
  • Stadthalle Vienna 1958, for Roland Rainer
  • Böhlerhaus Vienna 1958, for Roland Rainer
  • Wiener Börse facade and interior shots 1959, for Erich Boltenstern
  • Opernringhof Vienna 1957, for Georg Lippert
  • Laboratory and administration building Hoffmann-La Roche Vienna 1962, for Georg Lippert
  • Danube Tower Vienna: preliminary studies and models 1962, photo series Bauwerk 1964, for Hannes Lintl
  • Kennedy Bridge Vienna 1964, for Fritz Pfeffer
  • Vienna Intercontinental 1964, for Theis & Jaksch
  • Semperit Center Vienna 1965, for Georg Lippert
  • German Embassy Vienna 1965, for Georg Lippert
  • Wiener Zentralsparkasse interior photos 1966, for Anton Potyka

estate

The studio was continued by her daughter until 1982, when it was closed. In 1996 the archive of Lucca Chmel was acquired by the Austrian National Library .

Publications

  • Anton Macku, Lucca Chmel, St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna after the fire in April 1945, Vienna: Franz Deuticke 1947
  • Lucca Chmel, picture book Austria. (Text by Heinrich Thomas, foreword by Viktor Matejka), Vienna: Globus-Verlag 1947
  • Paul W. Stix, Lucca Chmel (Ed.), The Vienna Passion. The Gothic passion tablets of the burned choir stalls at St. Stephen in Vienna. Vienna: Herold 1950
  • Lala Ausberg, Beautiful Carinthia: an illustrated book with master photographs by Lala Aufsberg, Lucca Chmel, Robert Löbl, Heinz-Müller-Brunke, Innsbruck: Pinguin Verlag 1960
  • Lucca Chmel, Hanns Jahn, Salzburg and the Salzkammergut: An illustrated book, Innsbruck: Pinguin Verlag 1963

Exhibitions

  • 1992 Böhlerhaus The Form of Time. Architectural photographs by Lucca Chmel, Margherita Krischanitz (Spiluttini) catalog of the same name, ed. Gang Art
  • 1995 Historical Museum of the City of Vienna Selection of photos of the destroyed St. Stephen's Cathedral Catalog Den Dom…: Hug, press against the chest, and then cry heartily. (JG Seidl): Memories of the destruction of St. Stephen's Cathedral in 1945, authors Lucca Chmel, Susanne Winkler
  • 2004/2005 Westlicht Gallery / Austrian National Library Architectural Photography 1945–1970 , Klinger Verlag 2004 catalog

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Gabriele Hofer: Lucca Chmel. Architectural photography 1945–1972.
  2. ^ Lucca Chmel architectural photography 1945–1970

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Chmel, Lucca
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chmel, Lucia Maria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian photographer
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1999
Place of death Vienna