Consumerism In Andreas Gursky's '99 Cent'
“99 Cent” was an iconic photograph taken by the German photographer, Andreas Gursky in 1999. Gursky takes an ordered, indexical approach to his work. Capturing scenes with enormous amounts of visual information. Gursky has been known to subtly enhance and adjust the structure of his photographs, which enables the viewers to assimilate and consume more feasible with just our eyes alone. 99 Cent is a perfect example of the spectacle surrounding consumerism, as it is composed in an organized and rigorous yet formal fashion. The artist brings in few formal elements, but despite its rigid structure and composition, 99 Cent is a visual assault. First the endless amount of detail, shape and space used in this image, which would not be possible
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The wide array gives the photograph almost an abstract feeling. Typically, we can image a market being filled with vibrant colors, which can be said about this piece in particular. The arrangement of shelves packaged with goods of all sorts, and the humble consumer lurking along through the isle. The high saturation of color in this image almost blend the content as if abstracted to seem like the whole store is full of multiple shelves stocked with the same goods. Giving the viewer the impression that consumers are interested in commodities that are not necessarily …show more content…
Six white poles in the middle and background break up the sea of color, moving the viewers eye throughout the space. The horizontal lines of the image, or so the isles in the image are quick and jagged, while the vertical lines being the white poles in both foreground and background, give the image a sense of depth. 99 Cents’ structure shows the viewer how the individuals depicted are seemingly conforming to the role of the customer. The consumers partake in a focused partial awareness, concerned with only their actions. The line and structure of 99 Cents attributes to showing something we see in our every day. Gursky’s work makes you look, with spots of intensity seen in the compacted shelves and the lack of a distinct focal
The wide array gives the photograph almost an abstract feeling. Typically, we can image a market being filled with vibrant colors, which can be said about this piece in particular. The arrangement of shelves packaged with goods of all sorts, and the humble consumer lurking along through the isle. The high saturation of color in this image almost blend the content as if abstracted to seem like the whole store is full of multiple shelves stocked with the same goods. Giving the viewer the impression that consumers are interested in commodities that are not necessarily …show more content…
Six white poles in the middle and background break up the sea of color, moving the viewers eye throughout the space. The horizontal lines of the image, or so the isles in the image are quick and jagged, while the vertical lines being the white poles in both foreground and background, give the image a sense of depth. 99 Cents’ structure shows the viewer how the individuals depicted are seemingly conforming to the role of the customer. The consumers partake in a focused partial awareness, concerned with only their actions. The line and structure of 99 Cents attributes to showing something we see in our every day. Gursky’s work makes you look, with spots of intensity seen in the compacted shelves and the lack of a distinct focal