Dark 1968

Gerhard Richter made this abstract painting "Dark" with oil paint and a squeegee, probably sometime in the last few decades. What strikes me is Richter’s commitment to the process of artmaking itself. The surface is built up with layers, revealing bits and pieces of color peeking through like memories. Up close, you can see the tracks left by the squeegee, dragging the paint across the surface. They form ridges and valleys, and the paint is thick in some areas and thin in others. It is as though you can see the artist working, his movements preserved in the paint like a fossil. The way Richter builds his surfaces reminds me of a painter like Joan Mitchell. Both artists share an interest in the material qualities of paint and allow the process to dictate the final image. Ultimately, a painting like this embraces the unknown and invites us to find our own meaning within the ambiguity.