New York is never at a loss for exhibitions of color photography, but two major new shows—"Biographical Landscape: The Photography of Stephen Shore, 1969-79” at the International Center of Photography, and "Andreas Gursky" at the Matthew Marks Gallerygive us a unique opportunity to consider the development of the medium over the past generation. What unites Shore, a pioneer of color photography, and Gursky, the medium’s greatest current star, is an inscrutable, deadpan style. Both artists view their subjects straight on, with relatively little manipulation of the image or editorial comment. Their work communicates dispassion and even an impression of objectivity. And their compositions—typically simple, straightforward, and centered in the frame—can seem so easy to acheive that some viewers may be tempted, as if confronting a Minimalist painting, to exclaim, “I could have done that.”

Click on the photo gallery to the left to continue reading "From Shore to Gursky, Part I"

When you've finished, read "From Shore to Gursky, Part II"