Demo 1997

Gerhard Richter made this painting, "Demo", using oil on canvas. The way Richter attacks an image is pretty special. It’s all about how he blurs the line between representation and abstraction. Up close, the surface is a field of vertical streaks, almost like rain on a window, distorting what we see. The way he drags the paint across the canvas, it’s like he’s trying to erase the image even as he creates it. Look at the red barriers in the foreground – they're so vivid, yet they dissolve into the hazy background. This tension between clarity and ambiguity is what makes Richter's work so compelling, it reminds me a little of Francis Bacon. Richter invites us to question the very act of seeing and the fleeting nature of reality. It's more about the process than the final image.