There are 3 main elements I think Andreas Gursky was interested in capturing: the texture of the grass and river, the horizontal lines, and the repeating color green in the image. Of course, these are only assumptions, but these are the elements that jump out to me the most.

If I were the photographer, I would name this image Rhine 1996. First of all, because I don’t speak German, and this is the Rhine river, I would not name it with the german name “Rhein”. Second, I would add the time, because this view would not stay the same over the years. This specific scene of green lines of grass with a grey river and overcast weather would change with the seasons, maybe with yellowing grass in the winter, bluer skies in the summer, and choppier waves on the river throughout the years. The infrastructure around the river may change as well; right now, there is only a simple road, but this area could be developed into something else.

The image is composed of 7 main horizontal lines, all pretty much perpendicular. 3 of those lines are of grass. With the closer lines of grass, you can see the texture, while the grass further away you can only see the color of. The green lines of grass form a stark contrast in value with the color of the river and sky. The focus is around the grass line closest to the river, as it is where the most defining texture can be seen. The use of horizontal lines gives a sense of stability and peacefulness.

Works Cited

Gursky, Andreas. “Rhein II”. Photograph. Andreas Gursky. https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1996/rhein-1, Accessed September 7th 2025.