Betty 1991

Gerhard Richter painted Betty using oil on canvas, we're not sure exactly when. You see the softness in the blurred edges and hazy light, right? It's like trying to remember a dream. Richter's known for this kind of photographic realism, but he doesn't just copy the photo, he transforms it. There's this tension between clarity and blur, like the painting is both present and fading away. Look at the way the red flowers on her cardigan bleed into the white, how the colors aren't quite fixed. The surface isn't smooth, it has a subtle texture that catches the light. I love the way he captures the fleeting nature of memory, the sense that things are always slipping away from us. Richter reminds me a little bit of Luc Tuymans, another painter who uses muted colors and blurry images to create a sense of unease. Both artists understand that painting isn't about capturing reality, it's about creating a space for ambiguity and reflection.