Pit Ludwig

Pit Ludwig (born March 27, 1916 in Mainz-Kostheim , † July 26, 1997 in Darmstadt ) was a German photographer , commercial artist and cultural worker .

Life

Pit Ludwig, who grew up in Darmstadt , found photography during a nine-semester medical degree .

From 1940 he was trained by Sonja Georgi in Berlin to be a press photo reporter. His professional beginnings as a fashion photographer and photo reporter for the TOBIS film company were interrupted in 1942 when he was drafted into the Wehrmacht.

After returning from Soviet captivity, Pit Ludwig was one of the first employees at ila-Bildzentrale in Hamburg in 1946 . In 1948 he moved to Darmstadt.

He founded his own picture agency, the pbs press picture office, in Darmstadt in 1948. His recordings appeared in the Darmstädter Echo and in the cultural and event calendar “Lebendiges Darmstadt”. As a photographer for the Landestheater Darmstadt , he documented the work of the artistic directors Sellner , Hering and Beelitz between 1951 and 1981 . Pit Ludwig's theater recordings and portraits of the artists living or performing in Darmstadt have meanwhile found a firm place in Darmstadt's historical tradition. In contrast to this, Pit Ludwig's staged and purpose-free art photography is hardly noticed today.

In 1952 he founded the later legendary “Keller Club” in Darmstadt Castle , creating a lively meeting place for Darmstadt's artists. Pit Ludwig in Darmstadt became a cultural institution due to his versatile advocacy for the interests of the artist. Since 1956 he belonged to the "New Darmstadt Secession" . Ludwig developed art-political activities in the “New Darmstadt Secession”. In 1971 Ludwig was elected president of the artist group.

Ludwig took on the role of exhibition organizer in the “Aktion Theaterfoyer” in the new state theater that was inaugurated in 1972. The Darmstadt “art tents” during the Christmas markets initially lived off his commitment.

Pit Ludwig was buried in the old cemetery in Darmstadt (grave site: IV Mauer 162).

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In dealing with the print media, Ludwig developed a personal recording and reproduction style with a preference for black and white contrasts and graphic image effects. He himself called this technique "photography".

Honors

The city of Darmstadt recognized Ludwig's life's work as a photographer and creative artist in 1976 with the award of the Johann Heinrich Merck Honor .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Stadtlexikon Darmstadt, Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, p. 581 f.