Cage 2 2020

Gerhard Richter made this painting, Cage 2, with oil on canvas. I am immediately drawn to the way he lets the paint drag. The horizontal scrapes of paint create such a fascinating texture, blurring and blending colours like some kind of weird weather system. I notice the way that he has left some areas of the canvas thinly veiled, while other areas have build-ups of thick impasto. There is this real sense of control, but also a willingness to let the material dictate the final outcome. Take for example the the small patch of green on the lower part of the canvas, these flecks disrupt the formality of the composition, and yet they also give it a vibrant energy. Richter reminds me a little of what I try to do myself in my own practice; embracing process, accident, and ambiguity as a path to new discoveries. Art’s not about fixed answers, but more about keeping the questions alive.