"A World without Human Beings" in the Photographs of Andreas Gursky and in the Paintings of Richard Estes

The work is devoted to the problem of interpreting the "world without a man" in the artworks of Andreas Gursky and Richard Estes. “A world without a man” is considered as a phenomenon that has several semantic levels. First of all, it includes the formal characteristics of the image. Secondly, is there a place for “human” (subjectivity, assessment or criticism) in the works of Andreas Gursky and Richard Estes? Thirdly, what mythology about modern man is constructed and transmitted through these images. In the study, this issue is considered comprehensively using the methods of the social history of art and the wide context of art history. The research methodology is to analyze the problem of human interpretation in Estes's paintings and Gursky's photographs from different theoretical points of view. The study consists of three chapters, introduction, conclusion, and also includes an application with illustrations.