Ruprecht Skasa-Weiß - A Personal Obituary

With the passing of Ruprecht Skasa-Weiß, the worlds of photography, film, theater, literature, and psychology have lost a powerful voice - not just in Stuttgart. On July 12, he celebrated his 90th birthday; one month later, on August 16, he left us…

Who was this Ruprecht Skasa-Weiß? As the son of Eugen Skasa-Weiß, a man of letters and master of the classical arts and culture section, a love of language and curiosity were instilled in him from birth. He grew up near Munich and studied German language and literature, philosophy, and psychology. For years, his voice shaped the arts and culture section of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung”. He never lost his cultivated, slightly accented native dialect…

He was a master of language - in his little booklets “5 Minuten Deutsch”, he took aim at empty phrases, filler words, and incorrect usage - he wanted to open people’s eyes…

A very personal obituary? Yes, because when I first presented my photographs at our old GDL in 1984, Skasa-Weiß approached me and wanted to use my photograph as evidence against the theories of the keynote speaker… “What was claimed in the keynote address to be a shortcoming - namely, that photography captures ‘only’ the surface of reality - was transformed in the photograph by Stuttgart-based Wolfram Janzer into a delicate and distinctive virtue. The GDL community found the ‘almost tactile appeal’ of these rigorously abstract photos captivating enough to applaud Janzer’s application presentation unanimously.” From then on, he was my mentor. Skasa-Weiß was appointed to the GDL in 1974 and accompanied it for years as a stern observer and journalist… Corinna Weidner paid tribute to him in 2024 in DFA Podcast #3: “Ruprecht Skasa-Weiß - The Legendary Culture of Debate in the 1970s and 1980s.” A dazzling display from the 88-year-old master of language, who brings that era back to life with eloquent fervor, without apauseoracomma… his passion for language is contagious… a testament to his linguistic power and his close ties to the GDL/DFA - a “must” to experience him…

I am sad. On June 10, Julia Schröder, Skasa’s wife, had encouraged me to call him at the nursing home, where he was being cared for after a fall… unfortunately, I missed the chance… I send him my respectful thoughts, wherever he may be…

heartfelt
Wolfram Janzer