Günter Rössler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Günter Rössler
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Günter Rössler at his home, 2009
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Günter Rössler
6 January 1926 Leipzig, Germany
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| Died | 31 December 2012 (aged 86) Leipzig, Germany
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| Resting place | Auenfriedhof Markkleeberg-Ost, Markkleeberg, district Leipzig |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Günter Rössler (6 January 1926 – 31 December 2012) was a German photographer. A notable fashion photographer, Rössler was often referred to by the media as the Helmut Newton of East Germany. Rössler however, never liked this comparison with Newton, saying: "with Newton the pose dominates, with me it is about the highest possible authenticity of the girls". Rössler significantly contributed to the history of German photography in the second half of the twentieth century.
Biography
Rössler was born in Leipzig. Between 1944 and 1945, he completed his high school education and at age 18 was immediately conscripted for military service in the German Army during World War II. On orders to recapture a hill held by the advancing Red Army, Rössler was severely wounded during the assault and one of few from his troop to have survived the hail of grenades, he was subsequently captured and taken prisoner of war. At the end of the War, Rössler left his hometown Leipzig for Bad Nauheim, where in 1946 he began working for a photo store, as salesperson, photographic laboratory technician and photo-retoucher.
Rössler began his photographer apprenticeship from 1947 and returned to Leipzig to study at the "University for Graphic and Book Design" (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst). From 1951, he worked as freelance fashion and advertising photographer, as well as photojournalist.
From 1954 to 1990, Rössler was collaborating and contributing mainly to East German women's fashion magazines such as Sibylle (East Germany's equal to Vogue) and Modische Maschen, including the monthly culture and lifestyle magazine Das Magazin, as well as the photography magazines Fotografie and Fotokino-Magazin. Rössler also collaborated across the Eastern Bloc, especially with the iconic fashion-forward magazine Lada published in Sofia, Bulgaria's equal to Vogue; Lada (Bulgarian: Списание Лада), backed by its own fashion house, was referred to as the "fashion encyclopedia" of the Bulgarian woman and held high regard by women from all walks of life. It sold widely across the rest of the socialist states.
In 1981, Rössler was admitted to the Verband Bildender Künstler der DDR (Association of Visual Artists of the GDR) and in 1996 appointed to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (German Society for Photography).
Along with East-German photographer Günter Rinnhofer, Rössler was one of the few photographers who were represented almost every month with photos in the photography magazines Fotografie and Fotokino-Magazin. Rössler worked mainly in black and white photography.
After Rössler's first wife Ruth died of cancer in 1991, Rössler later married his former model Kirsten Schlegel, 43-years his younger, whom he first met when she was 14 years old. Schlegel worked for Rössler as a model for fashion shoots and later as his assistant. They had one daughter born in 2003. In 1991, Rössler and Schlegel co-founded the photo model agency VOILÀ!.
In January 2011, on the occasion of Rössler's 85th-birthday, he appeared in an interview article by Das Magazin.
For Rössler's meritorious life's work, the city of Markkleeberg honoured the artist with the award of Medal of Honour on his 80th-birthday and entry into the Golden Book of the city. Rössler, who lived more than 50 years in Markkleeberg-East (Markkleeberg-Ost) near Leipzig, died there and was cremated on 11 January 2013 at the cemetery Auenfriedhof Markkleeberg-Ost.
Literature
- Roger Rössing (Hrsg.): Günter Rössler. Fotokinoverlag, Leipzig 1982.
- Thomas Tiltmann, Jana Kausch: Ästhetik des Verborgenen. Günter Rössler und die Aktfotografie der DDR. AV Akademikerverlag, Saarbrücken 2011, ISBN: 978-3-639-38218-1
- Günter Rössler: Mein Leben in vielen Akten. Authored by Uta Kolano. Berlin 2005, ISBN: 3-360-01275-5
- Günter Rössler. Balkanbilder. Published by Ralf C. Müller. Leipzig 2010. Eudora-Verlag, ISBN: 978-3-938533-40-6
Documentary
- Fred R. Willitzkat: Die Genialität des Augenblicks – Der Fotograf Günter Rössler (The genius of the moment – The photographer Günter Rössler). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR-TV), Germany 2012, 97 min., in German.
