Bouquet 2014

Gerhard Richter created this painting, Bouquet, with oil on canvas. But it's not just the materials that matter, it's what he does with them. Look closely, and you'll see the paint has been dragged horizontally across the surface, blurring the image. This isn't just a painting of a bouquet; it's a meditation on the act of painting itself. Richter’s technique here challenges the traditional idea of the artist as a skilled hand, carefully rendering a scene. Instead, he embraces chance and the unpredictable qualities of the medium. It’s almost as if the painting is making itself. By undermining the distinction between representation and abstraction, Richter questions the value we place on artistic skill and labor. He suggests that the meaning of a work lies not just in what it depicts, but in how it's made, and how it invites us to see the world around us with fresh eyes.