Response to Andreas Gursky

As Andreas Gursky said in his video, there is a certain level of consumerism in our culture, which I feel drives a lot of our actions. I feel like his photo of all of the shoes lined up is a perfect example of this, and is something you would likely see in a magazine ad. Everyone is so greedy these days and is so concerned about themselves and their possessions, that everyone feels a short of disconnect from each other. Even in the way Gursky tried to only take pictures in the galleries where people weren’t looking at the camera can be representative of this. In the picture of the dead soldiers, however, there seemed to be the opposite effect. There seemed to be an emotional tied that kept them all together and they all had something in common. It didn’t matter how much money, material possessions, or status they had, they are all victims of the war now, and they are all the same. There is a certain uniformity in those soldiers, as well as in all of us. Everyone likes to say that they are photographer, sometimes even calling themselves artists, but if everyone can do it, then what makes it special? Being an artist is creating something that no one has before and requires a unique skill that not everyone can obtain with taking selfies on their phones. It’s like the soldiers, at the end of the day, one day our possessions won’t matter, so it’s important to contribute something meaningful while you still can.