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 (born January 6, 1926 – died December 31, 2012) was a famous German photographer. Many people called him the Helmut Newton of East Germany because he was a well-known fashion photographer. However, Rössler did not like this comparison. He said that for him, it was about showing the real feelings of the girls, not just their poses. Rössler played a big part in German photography during the second half of the 1900s.
Contents
About Günter Rössler
Early Life and War
Günter Rössler was born in Leipzig, Germany. He finished high school between 1944 and 1945. When he was 18, he had to join the German Army during World War II. He was badly hurt in a battle and was taken as a prisoner of war. After the war ended, Rössler left Leipzig. He went to Bad Nauheim in 1946. There, he worked in a photo store. He was a salesperson, helped in the photo lab, and fixed old photos.
Becoming a Photographer
Rössler started learning photography in 1947. He then went back to Leipzig to study at the "University for Graphic and Book Design." From 1951, he worked on his own. He took photos for fashion and advertisements. He also worked as a photojournalist, taking pictures for news stories.
Working as a Fashion Photographer
From 1954 to 1990, Rössler worked with many East German magazines. These included fashion magazines like Sibylle, which was like Vogue in East Germany. He also worked for Modische Maschen and the lifestyle magazine Das Magazin. His photos also appeared in photography magazines like Fotografie.
Rössler also worked with magazines in other countries in the Eastern Bloc. He often contributed to Lada, a popular fashion magazine from Sofia, Bulgaria. This magazine was very important for women in Bulgaria and was sold in many socialist countries. Rössler mostly took photos in black and white.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1981, Rössler became a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. In 1996, he joined the German Society for Photography. He was one of the few photographers whose pictures appeared almost every month in photography magazines.
After his first wife, Ruth, passed away in 1991, Rössler later married Kirsten Schlegel. She had been one of his models and later became his assistant. They had a daughter in 2003. In 1991, Rössler and Schlegel started a photo model agency called VOILÀ!.
In January 2011, Das Magazin interviewed Rössler for his 85th birthday. The city of Markkleeberg honored him with a Medal of Honour on his 80th birthday. They also added his name to the city's Golden Book. Rössler lived in Markkleeberg-East for over 50 years. He passed away there on December 31, 2012.
Literature
- Roger Rössing (Editor): 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. Written 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.
