Color Chart No.139 1 1966

Gerhard Richter made this painting, Color Chart No. 139 1, and well, it is what it says it is. Color! Nine squares of it. I like how he’s turned something functional—like a paint sample—into something to be contemplated. It’s like he’s asking, what even *is* color? Each square is its own world, its own mood. Take the red one in the middle row. It’s not just red; it’s got depth, a kind of quiet intensity. And the way it sits next to that blue—whew! Talk about a conversation. Richter’s charts remind me a bit of Mondrian, but without the dogma. Where Mondrian was all about rules, Richter feels more open, more like he’s just playing with what color can *do.* It's like he’s saying, "Here are the tools, now go make something beautiful, or strange, or both." It's art as an invitation, not a lecture.