Bagdad 2014

Editor: This is Gerhard Richter’s "Bagdad," made in 2014, using acrylic paint. The intense colours give it such a vibrant feel, but also slightly chaotic. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The title "Bagdad," immediately evokes cultural memories laden with complexity and conflict, doesn't it? These vibrant, almost violent, colour clashes, contained yet spilling, resonate with a symbolic weight far beyond their material presence. The 'action' of pouring, dripping—does that not recall ancient processes like divination, or sacrifice, now translated to the canvas? Editor: I hadn’t thought of that. Sacrifice is interesting. So, the colours… is there a system? Curator: Richter often harnesses chance operations, but colour always speaks, especially when layered. Consider how yellow, associated with enlightenment, struggles against the assertive red, perhaps the passion, violence. Is it a struggle? Are they harmonizing? Do these bold strokes conjure emotions associated with destruction, renewal, or a continuous cycle, given the location evoked by the title? Editor: I see it now, a conversation, a chaotic one maybe. Do you think Richter wants to capture specific emotions about the location itself? Curator: The ambiguity is the point. "Bagdad," the title, works like an anchor pulling you to the weight of that place, but then the pure abstraction lets you float freely into interpretations and contemplations, drawing upon your own cultural experiences. Editor: That is something to think about as I go. Thank you! Curator: Likewise. It is enriching to unpack the possible visual dialogues present.