Cythera Skizze 1986

Gerhard Richter made this abstract painting titled Cythera Skizze with oil on canvas. The gestures are super visible, which I love, because it shows his process. I’m drawn to how Richter builds up the surface with these big, sweeping marks. You can almost feel the drag of the brush across the canvas, especially where the blue and green meet that sunny yellow. It’s thick in some spots, thin in others, with these juicy drips of red that feel almost accidental, like the paint had a mind of its own! These aren't gentle colours either; they are really punchy, and yet it kinda works. It reminds me a little of Joan Mitchell, that same fearlessness with color and the way she layered paint, but maybe with a German sensibility. Ultimately, it’s a painting that leaves you with more questions than answers, which is how I like it.