In his second solo exhibition at GALERIE HIMMEL, Leonhard Wachter presents new small-format acrylic paintings. On display are recent works from the final phase of his studies at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle.

In ‘Soon’, Leonhard Wachter focuses on seemingly fleeting everyday scenes, moments of waiting and transition, set in nocturnal urban spaces, clubs, sparse interiors or streetscapes. His paintings depict a youthful world and are imbued with a palpable atmospheric density. The figures, often depicted in isolation, are frozen, like snapshots, in the moment of movement or pause.

In terms of painting technique, Leonhard Wachter works with a rather sketchy, open application of paint and relies on striking light-and-shadow contrasts, consistently using stage-like artificial light sources. The deliberate restriction to a few contrasting colours, developed from a muted light-grey background, is reminiscent in its composition of the effect of multicoloured woodcuts or linocuts. The resulting stencil-like aesthetic refers equally to urban street art and to the artisanal tradition of colour printmaking.