Gerhard Richter’s remarkable command of style and genre
For more than fifty years, Gerhard Richter has proven his remarkable command of almost every style and genre of painting. That Richter is both a figurative and abstract painter is one of the most surprising aspects of his art.
His painting encompasses realism based on photographs and magazine cuttings, large-scale abstracts produced by dragging layers of paint across the canvas, romantic landscapes, overpainted photographs, glass sculptural works and many other forms. This variation and experimentation mark him as a significant force in the revitalisation of painting in contemporary art.
We explore some of these styles below, and also look at how the artist’s family and history have made their way into this work.
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