Phantom Interceptors 1964

Gerhard Richter made this painting, Phantom Interceptors, using a photograph as its base. You can really see how the greyscale palette allows him to focus on the tonal contrast and the forms, which are soft around the edges. That blurriness, that's Richter's signature move, right? It's like he's saying, hey, nothing is really fixed. Everything's in process. Look at the largest plane; it’s like a smear of grey that suddenly takes shape. The planes are weighty, but they're also kind of ghost-like. I mean, it’s hard to tell what tool he used to get that smudgy effect, maybe a dry brush, or even a cloth. But it's that lack of sharp detail that I find really striking and unsettling. It's like a memory fading. Richter's work reminds me of Sigmar Polke's, in that they both mess with reproduction, and use source imagery that resonates with Germany's complex and difficult history. For me, this piece is really about how a painting can hold onto a feeling, while still keeping some secrets.