Fall 1983

Gerhard Richter made this painting, 'Fall', with oil paint, though we don't know exactly when. The way he’s applied the paint is kind of like watching a dance – you can see the rhythm in those vertical strokes of yellow and the swaths of red. Up close, you can almost feel the physicality of the painting. It's not just about the colors, but about the texture, the way the brush has dragged the paint across the surface. See that one dark line slicing through the top? It’s like a sharp thought cutting through a dream. Richter isn't trying to hide anything; the process is right there on the canvas. Thinking about other artists, I am reminded of Joan Mitchell. Both artists share this commitment to a kind of abstraction that feels deeply personal, a way of making the invisible visible. With a painting like this, Richter reminds us that art is always a conversation, full of questions and open to endless interpretations.