Biographical Facts about Andreas Gursky - Essay Example

Andreas Gursky Affiliation Andreas Gursky Artist’s biographical information and background: and place of birth, family background, where he/she grew up, what schools he/she attended, and what he/she studied, etc. Andreas Gursky is a renowned visual artist born in 1955 in Leipzig, former East Germany. He was the only child of his father who was also a very successful commercial photographer. His parents moved to Dusseldorf, Germany where he grew up and currently lives and works (Gagosian Gallery Museum, n.d). From 1978 to1980, he spent his time in Folkwangschule (Folkwang School) in Essen training as a professional photographer and specialized as a photojournalist. He later joined Staatliche Kunstakademie (State Art Academy) in Dusseldorf in 1980 and a year later after completing his groundwork course; he started learning the art world through photography. From this time to 1987, he was mentored by Bernd and Hilla Becher, who had made prominent achievements in global photography (Museum of Modern Art, n.d). First exhibitions and accomplishments as an artist: How did he/she come to be well-known? After joining Kunstakademie, Gursky started working on colored photographs as opposed to his mentors who had a preference for black and white outfits. His desire to change the face of photography by giving it aesthetic value led to what we see today – colored designs. His first exhibition, “Gursky’s Pförtnerbilder series of 1981–85,” was exhibited at the Dusseldorf Airport in 1987. In this photograph, he depicted the arrangement of the front-desk staff security members in German office buildings (Famous photographers, n.d). Over time, Gursky has made tremendous achievements in the global art scene. He is well-known for his big, bold, colorful and detailed photographs that have defined the contemporary art (Parish Art Museum, n.d). His large format photographs are a reflection and exploration of the natural environment and globalization effects on the modern life of capitalism (Famous photographers, n.d). Several of his artistic works have been presented in several exhibitions in major museums around the world. For instance, the most recent major exhibition "Werke-Works 80-08” has found its way in many exhibitions such as the Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is also found in many important public and private collections throughout the world (Gagosian Gallery Museum, n.d). Moreover, Gursky’s 3m wide photograph of “Rhine II River” holds the record of the most expensive photograph in the art history. In 2011, it was selling at £ 2.7m at Christie’s New York – a price higher than Cindy Sherman’s £2.4m in May (Waters, 2011). Gursky’s exemplary works and desires for photography have also seen him travelling beyond Germany and the Europe Continent as a whole. He has gone to international cities of Tokyo, Singapore, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Cairo among others taking a wide range of images of buildings, hotels, offices, events and nature. Inspirations and influences: What influenced the artist? This is where you can provide historical context for the artist’s work. Brought up by successful commercial photographer parents owning a photography studio, Gursky started learning photography even before finishing high school (Museum of Modern Art, n.d). However, he did not have an interest in following the same career path as his parents, and he opted to look for a job as a photojournalist. It was until 1980 when he could not secure himself a position in any media firm that he reconsidered his stance and joined Kunstakademie, Dusseldorf to experience the art of photography. Since then, he has produced several works on various subjects. His is inspired by his life experiences, and the desire to reveal his encounters with the world through his photographs has been a key motivator to him in his career. My three favorites of Gursky’s series of photography works are the “Rhine II,” “Ratingen Swimming Pool,” and “Singapore Stock Exchange.” I like these photographs because of the strong messages they have and the high level of art used to produce them. The general outlook and colorful appearance of the “Rhine II” caption clearly shows the beauty of our nature – a fact that all of us should embrace. Its view tells how best Gursky masters the game of photography with his camera. Similarly, the image of the “Ratingen Swimming Pool” shows how we can modify our environment to suit our needs such as leisure. Just by the look, it is no doubt that anyone who has come to the well-designed swimming pool surrounded by trees and enough space would wish to visit the place more frequently. Finally, the “Singapore Stock Exchange” photograph represents the economic activities of the modern capitalism. It portrays the busy nature of financial markets in the world where companies and businesses trade. Andreas Gursky, Rhine II, 1999 Andreas Gursky, Ratingen Swimming Pool, 1987 Andreas Gursky, Singapore Stock Exchange, 1997 Working style of the artist: Where did the artist go to make these images? (Do they travel? Set up photos in the studio? Take self-portraits?) What kind of equipment does he/she use? (A simple camera, flashes?) Gursky travels out to different places to get the pictures of his favorites including landscapes, leisure, architectural outfits and people. In using dispassionate and unusual viewpoints to obtain his images, Gursky uses helicopters, cranes and even accesses roofs. Moreover, he covers oceans and seas series with high-definition satellite images (Famous photographers, n.d). Prior to embarking on his photograph shootings with his camera, Gursky properly plans for his activities. It is also worth noting that Gursky utilizes scale, color and detail to achieve his aesthetic images with expansive views. He uses digital manipulation that takes several months to design. It is also noted in the Gagosian Gallery Museum (n.d) that Gursky relies heavily on the German Romantic painting and the principle of Minimalist abstraction to employ the hyperbolic fictions of digital manipulation to polish his images. Overarching concept and style of the artist’s work: Tell use more about the themes in the artist’s work. What is he/she known for? What is he/she trying to express or comment upon in the work? Look at reviews of the artist’s work or a review of an exhibition he has been in. Please find reviews from reputable sources (the New York Times, the Washington Post, FindArticles, etc.). Andreas Gursky is best known for his photographs that depict the landscape, events, and capitalism structures of the modern world. These range from oceans and seas to the magnificent buildings and offices. He travels across the world taking images of events, building structures and natural features that illustrate various themes. According to Waters (2011), the beautiful, adorable and most expensive image of the “Rhine II River” depicts the romance of landscape and how man relates to nature. Moreover, “Ratingen Swimming Pool” represents the theme of local tourism and leisure. His photograph of the “Hafen von Salerno” meaning the ‘Harbour of Salerno’ is a depiction of a busy city at the sea marked with business and industrial activities. It shows a car producing plant situated at the seas with many cars ready for shipment as well as the surrounding apartment buildings. In this work, Gursky aims to illustrate that industrialization can take place in any convenient location. In addition to these series of work, there are other modern world photographs Gursky has taken to illustrate different themes of human life. Andreas Gursky, Hafen von Salerno, 2007 What is the artist doing now: exhibitions, artwork, lectures, grants, etc. If the photographer is no longer alive, what was a recent exhibition of their work and what did it show? Despite thinking of pursuing a different career from his parents at an early age, Gursky seemed to have developed an intense passion for photography. He still continues with his work and owns a commercial photography studio where he lives in Dusseldorf, Germany. “My preference for clear structures is the result of my desire – perhaps illusory - to keep track of things and maintain my grip on the world” – Andreas Gursky. I find this quote by Gursky very useful because of its encouragement and inspiration to always achieve excellent results. It reminds us the need of being driven by personal desires to attain new heights in every effort we make in our lives. References Famous photographers.(n.d). Andreas Gursky Facts & Biography. Retrieved from http://famous-photographers.com/andreas-gursky/. Gagosian Gallery Museum.(n.d). Andreas Gursky. Retrieved from http://www.gagosian.com/artists/andreas-gursky. Museum of Modern Art.(n.d). Andreas Gursky. Retrieved from http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2001/gursky/. Parish Art Museum.(2015). Landscapes. Retrieved from http://parrishart.org/exhibitions/andreas-gursky-landscapes. Waters F.(2011, November 11).Why is Andreas Gurskys Rhine II the most expensive photograph? The daily telegraph. Retrieved from www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Art). Read More