Luigi Ghirri, the Italian land surveyor and photographer who died in 1992, has become much better known in the United States ever since artist Thomas Demand included his work in “La Carte d’Après Nature,” a well-received group show that traveled to Matthew Marks in 2011. The 34 photos in “The Impossible Landscape”—like the slightly surreal prints from his series “Kodachrome,” some of which are included here—highlight Ghirri’s interest in skewed scale, unexpected framing and European landscapes that aren’t as pristine—or “real”—as they initially may seem. It’s hard to pinpoint what is so unsettling about Marina di Ravenna (1986), from his “Paesaggio Italiano” series. Perhaps it’s the monolithic building on the right that blends in with the sandy beach yet looks much too bulky for a seaside structure. Or perhaps it’s the uncertainly of the relationships between the three people—are they grandmother, mother and daughter, or just three beachgoers caught in an awkward moment by Ghirri’s watchful eye? —Leigh Anne Miller
Pictured: Luigi Ghirri: Marina di Ravenna, 1986, vintage c-print, 12â? by 18â? inches. Courtesy Matthew Marks, New York. © Estate of Luigi Ghirri.