Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky is a German photographer who was born in 1955. This visual artist is famous for his landscape and architectural color photographs. These photographs are recognizable because they present a high point of view. Color is prominent, and the pictures present themselves as extremely busy. There seems to be a lot going on in Gursky's pictures, causing your eyes to constantly wonder. Gursky's pictures often are shot from an ariel view. As of 2007, Gursky continues to hold the record for the highest priced single photograph that was sold at an auction. Gursky's print titled 99 Cent II, Diptych, sold for USD $3.3 million.

99 Cent II Diptychon, 2001

When Gursky photographs, he heavily relies on the manipulation of computers to enhance his pictures and make them pop. By enhancing his photographs, Gursky plays around with space by making the space photographed appear to be larger than the subjects that are being photographed. His pictures have been described as "splashy," "entertaining." and "literally unbelievable."New York's Museum of Modern Art called 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." Through his photographs it is evident that Gursky is primarily interested in man-made objects and space. We can see this through his pictures of buildings, skyscrapers, stores, as well as other public areas. His photographs are very industrialized.

Shanghai, 2001

Chicago Board of Trade II, 1999

Gursky New York Times Art Review

To capitalize on abstraction, Gursky plays around with colors as well as high resolution. Due to the fact that the pictures are in such high resolution, they seem chaotic which then intensifies the abstraction. Also, he plays around with line in pictures such as his photograph titled Shanghai. He crops this photo to emphasize abstraction and makes your eyes wander along the strong line counters. When looking at Gursky's photos at a quick glance, they just appear to be numerous colors blending together which creates abstraction through his images.

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