FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Name of Artist: Andreas Gursky
Dates of Artist’s Life: January 15, 1955 (age 63), Still Alive
1. Personal Background: (5 sentences. Culture, nationality, schooling, important life events, etc.)
Andreas Gursky is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his large format architecture and landscape colour photographs, often employing a high point of view.Gursky was born in Leipzig, East Germany in 1955. His family relocated to West Germany, moving to Essen and then Düsseldorf by the end of 1957. He attended Folkwangschule, Essen, where he is said to have studied under Otto Steinert.
2. Style: (5 sentences. What visual characteristics does this artist’s work possess? If you can compare it to a painting or art history style please do.)
The perspective in many of Gursky’s photographs is drawn from an elevated vantage point. This position enables the viewer to encounter scenes, encompassing both centre and periphery, which are ordinarily beyond reach.This sweeping perspective has been linked to an engagement with globalization. Visually, Gursky is drawn to large, anonymous, man-made spaces—high-rise facades at night, office lobbies, stock exchanges, the interiors of big box retailers. In a 2001 retrospective, New York's Museum of Modern Art described the artist's work, "a sophisticated art of unembellished observation. It is thanks to the artfulness of Gursky's fictions that we recognize his world as our own." Gursky’s style is enigmatic and deadpan. There is little to no explanation or manipulation on the works. His photography is straightforward.
3. Philosophy: (5 sentences. What were the major ideas behind this artist’s work? Where they personal, political, social, etc. What were they trying to “say” with their photographs?)
Gursky's photographs create a dialogue between painting and representation in that they go beyond merely capturing a piece of visual documentation - they in fact oftentimes conjure the look and feel borrowed from such movements as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Although Gursky refrains from social or political commentary with his work, he admits an overriding interest in capturing the existence of globalism and consumerism as it relates to modern man.A straightforward and distanced observation informs Gursky's work, leaving us to formulate our own opinions and responses. We recognize his world as our own rather than one with any personal messaging.
4. Influences: (5 sentences. How has the photographer influenced you in your work?)
5. Sources: You need to include the 3 images, their title and their source (which may include a link).
1.
2.
3.
http://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1990/osaka-golfplatz
Osaka-Golfplatz
6. Compare and Contrast: You will need to compare and contrast your final 3 images with the 3 images you choose by your photographer. Write about each piece (5 sentence.)
7. Personal Artist Statement: Your images should tell a story. In 5 sentences tell me about your images. Use the Composition 101, Elements and Principles and 10 Rules of Photography vocabulary.
Name of Artist: Andreas Gursky
Dates of Artist’s Life: January 15, 1955 (age 63), Still Alive
1. Personal Background: (5 sentences. Culture, nationality, schooling, important life events, etc.)
Andreas Gursky is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his large format architecture and landscape colour photographs, often employing a high point of view.Gursky was born in Leipzig, East Germany in 1955. His family relocated to West Germany, moving to Essen and then Düsseldorf by the end of 1957. He attended Folkwangschule, Essen, where he is said to have studied under Otto Steinert.
2. Style: (5 sentences. What visual characteristics does this artist’s work possess? If you can compare it to a painting or art history style please do.)
The perspective in many of Gursky’s photographs is drawn from an elevated vantage point. This position enables the viewer to encounter scenes, encompassing both centre and periphery, which are ordinarily beyond reach.This sweeping perspective has been linked to an engagement with globalization. Visually, Gursky is drawn to large, anonymous, man-made spaces—high-rise facades at night, office lobbies, stock exchanges, the interiors of big box retailers. In a 2001 retrospective, New York's Museum of Modern Art described the artist's work, "a sophisticated art of unembellished observation. It is thanks to the artfulness of Gursky's fictions that we recognize his world as our own." Gursky’s style is enigmatic and deadpan. There is little to no explanation or manipulation on the works. His photography is straightforward.
3. Philosophy: (5 sentences. What were the major ideas behind this artist’s work? Where they personal, political, social, etc. What were they trying to “say” with their photographs?)
Gursky's photographs create a dialogue between painting and representation in that they go beyond merely capturing a piece of visual documentation - they in fact oftentimes conjure the look and feel borrowed from such movements as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Although Gursky refrains from social or political commentary with his work, he admits an overriding interest in capturing the existence of globalism and consumerism as it relates to modern man.A straightforward and distanced observation informs Gursky's work, leaving us to formulate our own opinions and responses. We recognize his world as our own rather than one with any personal messaging.
4. Influences: (5 sentences. How has the photographer influenced you in your work?)
5. Sources: You need to include the 3 images, their title and their source (which may include a link).
1.
2.
3.
http://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1990/osaka-golfplatz
Osaka-Golfplatz
6. Compare and Contrast: You will need to compare and contrast your final 3 images with the 3 images you choose by your photographer. Write about each piece (5 sentence.)
7. Personal Artist Statement: Your images should tell a story. In 5 sentences tell me about your images. Use the Composition 101, Elements and Principles and 10 Rules of Photography vocabulary.