CHARGESHEIMER & VOLLMER. Köln 1970/1995

Background information

"German photographer CHARGESHEIMER took his pictures early in the morning, without people, without life in a neutral light: Cologne streets and squares were captured early in the morning as an anonymous and inhumane metropolitan backdrop. His photographs do not show the already familiar motifs, such as the cathedral, the Rhine panorama and Romanesque churches, which convey recognition and a sense of home. Rather, he prefers the rather inconspicuous and therefore perhaps typical corners of downtown Cologne. In 1972 CHARGESHEIMER presented his photo series to the public as 'Köln 5 Uhr 30' (Cologne 5:30), provoking strong criticism. This dismissive assessment of his work has changed, and in the meantime his work is held in high esteem due to the extraordinary quality of his visionary photographs. In his project 'Cologne 1970/1995', Cologne photographer Wolfgang VOLLMER revisits the approach of capturing the supposedly unspectacular in the image. He sought out the same streets and squares and photographed them again from the same view as CHARGESHEIMER's photographs. In this way, a book was created that exemplifies the changes in Cologne's cityscape through photographic comparison. However, it must be left to the open-minded observer to decide whether he or she finds our cities - documented by this example - more homelike and thus more human today. Or whether the uniformly designed inner cities no longer have any surprises to offer. A delightful task, not only for connoisseurs of CHARGESHEIMER's photography, but also for photography lovers, Cologne visitors and residents in general.

Content

In the photo volume 'Cologne. 1970/1995' black-and-white works of Cologne photographers CHARGESHEIMER and Wolfgang VOLLMER are juxtaposed, with many photographs by CHARGESHEIMER published for the first time." (somewhat adapted text, © Bachem Verlag, 2002)
The comparison of the two views reveals the transformation of the city of Cologne, its architecture and infrastructure, and provides subtle insights into the contemporary historical background and cultural life.

Additional information

The photo volume 'Cologne. 1970/1995' with works of the Cologne photographers CHARGESHEIMER and Wolfgang VOLLMER was edited by Reinhold Mißelbeck and Wolfgang VOLLMER. In addition to the photographs, it contains texts by L. Fritz Gruber ('Chargesheimer - monumental'), Reinhold Mißelbeck ('Chargesheimer revisited') and Werner Strodthoff ('Lieber Frühaufsteher!') as well as an interview by Bruno Carl with Wolfgang Vollmer, biographies and place names.

About the German photographer, CHARGESHEIMER (Carl Heinz HARGESHEIMER, 1924-1971/72)

Photo books by and on the work of CHARGESHEIMER

About the German photographer and photo historian, Wolfgang VOLLMER

Photo books by Wolfgang VOLLMER