Untitled 1975

Editor: This is an Untitled mixed-media collage and print on paper by Hans Richter, created in 1975. It's very striking. The geometric forms create a strong sense of dynamism despite the limited palette of blacks, whites, and grays. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, on the surface, it's a study of form, echoing Richter's earlier Dada experiments with abstraction, right? But situating this work within the political climate of 1975 complicates things. Consider what "abstraction" meant in that moment. Editor: You mean, like, abstract art as a retreat from the political turmoil of the time? Curator: Precisely! Post-war, geometric abstraction offered an alternative to representational art. It emphasized pure form, yet form itself can be a loaded concept. Are these shapes in conflict, or in harmony? Is the artist building a structure or deconstructing one? The "lack" of explicit subject matter doesn’t mean there is a lack of subject, does it? How does the texture, particularly in contrast between collage and print, impact your perception? Editor: I hadn't considered that aspect. I guess the way the shapes are arranged *could* imply some sort of disruption... or even construction... the geometric shapes could be parts of buildings. Curator: Or fragments of a broken social order. Richter's Dadaist background is crucial here. Dada was, after all, a radical rejection of bourgeois values that led to the First World War, expressing itself with abstraction. Editor: So you’re saying even a seemingly apolitical abstract work can be a political statement in disguise? Curator: Absolutely. The choice to create pure forms, the interplay of light and shadow, even the materials used, can be interpreted through a lens of socio-political consciousness. Never underestimate the quiet resistance of abstraction! Editor: That's a completely different way of looking at abstract art. I’ll definitely have to rethink how I approach these works going forward. Curator: Exactly! It's all about interrogating what seems obvious. Art always engages with its social context whether explicitly or implicitly.