10.4.89 1989

Gerhard Richter created this painting on canvas on October 4th, 1989. The stark black streaks against a pale background evoke a sense of foreboding. It is reminiscent of the "horror vacui" – the fear of empty space – that drove artists in the Middle Ages to fill every surface with ornamentation. Here, the dripping paint forms a barrier, a dark curtain reminiscent of the veils of mourning seen in countless depictions of grief throughout history. Think of the shrouded figures in Giotto's frescoes, or even the veiled portraits of the Fayum. This motif reappears across cultures, representing loss and the unknown, and has been filtered through our collective unconscious. The date in the title suggests a specific moment in time: a time of upheaval, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Perhaps Richter is channeling the anxieties of a divided nation through the powerful visual language of darkness and obstruction. This painting is not merely an abstract expression, but a potent symbol of a world on the brink of change.