Fuji 1996

Gerhard Richter made this painting, Fuji, with squeegees, pulling paint across the surface, blurring the image, and leaving these horizontal bands. I can only imagine him, standing there, wondering what would happen if he did this or that. What I see are these vibrant swathes of color, from emerald green to crimson, and streaks of yellow and white. Imagine the physicality of it all, the textures, the weight of the paint, the way the colors bleed into each other. It’s so sensual, so alive. The gesture here, this single pull of the squeegee, speaks volumes. Richter must have been thinking about the way the surface both reveals and conceals. It’s like he’s having a conversation with artists past and present, riffing on their ideas, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. It reminds me of other experimental approaches like Francis Bacon or even some of the earlier Impressionists. Painting is this ongoing exchange, this dance of ideas across time. It’s about uncertainty, about embracing the unknown, and allowing for endless interpretations.