Wednesday 9 November 2011

http://www.jca-online.com/richter.html

in this interviewer between Gerhard Richter and Sabine Schutz, the main topic discussion is that of the meaning his work, mainly his 'October Cycle' 15 paintings. Richter proclaims that "It seems important to me that the paintings now, with the breakdown of the socialist systems, obtain another, more general component which they did not have so evidently a year ago. On the other side, I shun to talk about the concerns or statements of the paintings. I do not want to narrow them down through interpretation."

looking at this statement it seems to me that Gerhard Richter - who's October Cycle paintings were released 10 years (approx.) after he finished painting them - does not want to put any kind of meaning or interpretation to his work. to him, the pieces are merely on his interest with world politics and the terrorist group who showed their disturbance of the world through bombings and robberies.
to me, his paintings reflect the way in which the terrorist affected the world afterwards. the colours (or shades) used respond to the depression and unfinished sensation of the terrorists themselves in a morbid way, contrast against the unfinished work of the terrorist in a finished sense of the paintings.

Gerhard Richter's reaction to his work is very similar to a quote by Lucretius on Postmodernism " If anyone thinks nothing is to be known, he does not even know whether that can be known, as he says he knows nothing"



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