Variation sur le theme des pro contres (no. 89) 1960

Hans Richter made this assemblage, *Variation sur le theme des pro contres (no. 89)*, from different metals. I can almost feel Richter reaching for these cool, hard materials: aluminium, copper, steel, and brass. Each element seems carefully considered, placed with precision. There’s a tension here, a balance between the rigidity of the metal and the organic shapes they form together. I imagine Richter puzzling over this composition, shifting things around until they clicked into place. It’s like a game of chess with geometric forms, each move calculated to create a dynamic interplay of shapes and textures. The semi-circle, crescent, and triangle each play with or contradict each other. I wonder if, for Richter, the pro's and con's of life were like this. A push and pull of shapes and shades and materials. This piece reminds me that art-making is an ongoing dialogue, not just with oneself, but with the materials at hand, with the history of art, and with the world around us. We play with what we are given, and we find new ways of seeing and feeling.