A Bit More Order is Needed in the Name of Anarchy 2000

Sigmar Polke made this artwork, A Bit More Order is Needed in the Name of Anarchy, maybe in his studio, using a combination of drawing and printing techniques. Look how he has built the image up using layers of imagery and halftone dots, like he is building an argument. I can imagine him in his studio, pushing images around, layering them on top of each other to create new juxtapositions. I see a guy riding a chair, a woman in a striped swimsuit and a blocky graphic that doesn’t quite resolve itself. What kind of order is needed in the name of anarchy? Maybe Polke is suggesting we need some basic structures and an established order in order to make anarchy possible. There’s a playful, punk energy here. Polke was very influential for lots of artists and he helped push painting into new territories. He was in dialogue with many of his contemporaries, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, and others, who were all grappling with similar questions about the role of painting. It makes you think about the tension between chaos and control.