Andreas Gursky’s large-scale color image “Bahrain I” depicts the rolling, visually perplexing route of the Bahrain Formula One racetrack. Gursky, a master of digital manipulation, usually places his lens high above, far away, on cranes, or even on helicopters. His pictures sometimes entail multiple views of the same subject, with different subjects seamlessly spliced together.

In “After/Before Gursky (Bahrain I)” and “After/Before Gursky (Dubai  II)”  I revisited the original sites on Google Earth. Simulating the same camera angle, I took  screen-shots to reveal the amount of Gursky’s digital manipulation.

Left: Andreas Gursky, Bahrain I
2007
C-print mounted on plexiglas in artist’s frame
120 1/2 x 87 1/4 inches

Right: Hermann Zschiegner, After/Before Gursky (Bahrain I)
2009
Digital C-print
11/14 inches
Edition of 10 $300
16/20 inches
Edition of 5 $500

Left: Andreas Gursky, Dubai II
2007
C-print mounted on plexiglas in artist’s frame
120 1/2 x 87 1/4 inches

Right: Hermann Zschiegner, After/Before Gursky (Dubai  II)
2009
Digital C-print
11/14 inches
Edition of 10 $300
16/20 inches
Edition of 5 $500

Detail