Painter who uses Plastic!

 Gerhard Richter

 There's a documentary, on Netflix, of the artist named Gerhard Richter. The longer I watched the movie, the more I admired him. His ability to play, see, and work with colors, is just as fascinating as the way he prepares the space for his exhibition. I also deeply respect his meticulous approach in producing his art. During the film, Gerhard Richter explains that painting under observation is the worst thing to do, “worst than being in a hospital”. Although my skills and expertise in painting are incomparable to those of Gerhard Richter, I can relate to this statement. The feeling one gets when being watched is as if you were completely exposed. 

     When the question “what were you thinking, while you were making this painting?” is asked to the artist, Gerhard Richter is at a loss of words to answer. He describes that to explain a painting in words can only be done with a limited choice. Painting in itself is a completely different form of communicating your thoughts as a painter. You don't know where or how the painting will turn out, you just feel and know it. I have done quite a few of paintings now, yet, it wasn't until recently I discovered what it meant to finish a piece. I agree with Gerhard Richter when he describes his painting as “fun for the moment”, meaning they may look good now, for a couple of seconds, minutes, or even for a day. But then you take a look at them later on, and know they still have a way to go to be completely “mature”. Each painting may be done by the same technique, but their process is uniquely applied to each, leaving one-of-a-kind artworks. 

     I'd like to believe Gerhard Richter and I have many similarities. From various range of styles, to admiration in other media, and techniques, I engross and can relate to the artists' mindset. The idea that, for a couple of years, Richter only did paintings of the color grey is thought-provoking. To someone who may not understand art, may describe this avant-garde approach as “dense” and cliché. But when you observe each canvas separately, or compare them to each other, the now dried paint reveals a distinct story. It reminds me of the idea that no two created paintings, even when the same color is being used, will produce the same result. It furthermore demonstrates that emotions and feelings overpower the outcome of a hand-made product, such as a painting. 

          Gerhard Richter's work is something I had never witnessed before. The artists I have learned and seen work of, usually have techniques that is quite opposed to Richter's. Although he is very precise in how he works and what he expects his paintings to look like, Richter doesn't truly control the paint he puts on canvas. By using a “squeegee”, a sort of plastic palette knife that various in sizes, disconnect him from the paint in some aspects. He may place the paint, and specific color(s) on it with careful details, but the way the paint forms and plays is truly due to the plastic and canvas relationship. Gerhard Richter can just observe and 'feel' where it will take him. 

      What I find the most incredible in Gerhard Richter's approach, is knowing he started his carrer with surrealism. The transformation between the two styles are quite compelling. Although most of his work now is viewed as abstract, there is a sense of surrealism to them. Images and landscapes begin to form from each painting. I believe that because the paintings are so abstract, reflecting a unique observation and perception on the image strictly differs by its viewer. He described two paintings towards the beginning of the film, where one was more “fun” than the other, but I couldn't help but disagree with him. Gerhard Richter's work reminded me of the saying “once a painting is hung for others to view, it no longer belongs to the painter.”