Townscape SL 1969

Gerhard Richter’s monochrome painting brings to mind a photographic negative, its grayscale hues forming stark urban landscapes. The scene is built up through careful, methodical layering, a process of applying and refining. You know, looking at this, I can’t help but think about those early days, just starting out, trying to find my way through the noise, the chaos, the endless possibilities of a blank canvas. I bet Richter felt something similar, grappling with how to distill the essence of a place, a memory, into something tangible, something real. I think he's trying to find the underlying structure of modern living. The buildings are basic blocks, simple dark lines, and the spaces in between, filled with light. It reminds me a little bit of Giorgio de Chirico, but with more chill. Like, if de Chirico was trying to build a brand new world, Richter is just showing us the one we already have, but maybe in a slightly different light. They both challenge us to think about what it means to see and be seen, to exist in a world that's constantly shifting and changing. They make us think about painting.