Home / Quotes / Quote by Gerhard Richter

Quote by Gerhard Richter

“I was a student, and as such you generally rely on prior models of how to make art, but these were not satisfying. Then I discovered in photos what had been missing in paintings; namely that they make a terrific variety of statements and have great substance. That is what I wanted to convey to paintings and apply to it.”

Quote by Gerhard Richter

Book:Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007

Work

Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007

Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007 is a comprehensive compilation of the artist's written works over a significant period of his career. The book offers insights into Richter's evolving artistic philosophy, his approach to painting, and his reflections on the role of art in society. It is a valuable resource for those interested in the thoughts and ideas of one of the most influential contemporary artists. more

Author

Gerhard Richter

German visual artist known for his unique painting style and diverse creative techniques. Richter's works span a wide range of styles from abstraction to figuration, and his career has spanned over half a century, profoundly influencing contemporary art. more

You May Also Like

“I choose depending on the way I feel; randomly, in other words. When I haven't done anything for a long time, I always start small, on paper.”

Way Feels Long Art Done Havens Paper Long Time Technique

Book:Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

Source: Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

“If, while I'm painting, I distort or destroy a motif, it is not a planned or conscious act, but rather it has a different justification: I see the motif, the way I painted it, is somehow ugly or unbearable. Then I try to follow my feelings and make it attractive. And that means a process of painting, changing or destroying - for however long it takes - until I think it has improved. And I don't demand an explanation from myself as to why this is so.”

Ifs Thinking Way Trying Mean Long Art Different Feelings Process Painting Demand Conscious Ugly Technique Attractive Explanation Destroying Justification Unbearable Motifs

Author:Gerhard Richter

“The smudging makes the paintings a bit more complete. When they're not blurred, so many details seem wrong, and the whole thing is wrong too. Then smudging can help make the painting invincible, surreal, more enigmatic - that's how easy it is.”

Art Whole Helping Seems Easy Bits Painting Details Technique Surreal Invincible Enigmatic

Author:Gerhard Richter

“Contact with like-minded painters - a group means a great deal to me: nothing comes in isolation. We have worked out our ideas largely by talking them through. Shutting myself away in the country, for instance, would do nothing for me. One depends on one's surroundings. And so the exchange with other artists - and especially the collaboration with Lueg and Polke - matters a lot to me: it is part of the input that I need.”

Source: Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

“It can be a work by Mondrian, a piece of music by Schönberg or Mozart, a painting by Leonardo, Barnett Newman or also Jackson Pollock. That's beautiful to me. But also nature. A person can be beautiful as well. And beauty is also defined as 'untouched'. Indeed, that's an ideal: that we humans are untouched and therefore beautiful.”

Humans Wells Persons Art Beautiful Pieces Painting Ideals Defined Leonardo Newman Pollock

Author:Gerhard Richter

“The truth... When they have a similar structure to and are organized in as truthful a way as nature. When I look out of the window, then truth for me is the way nature shows itself in its various tones, colours and proportions. That's a truth and has its own correctness. This little slice of nature, and in fact any given piece of nature, represents to me an ongoing challenge, and is a model for my paintings.”

Source: Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

“Nature/Structure. There is no more to say. In my pictures I reduce to that. But 'reduce' is the wrong word, because these are not simplifications. I can't verbalize what I am working on: to me, it is many-layered by definition; it is what is more important, what is more true.”

Art I Can Important Painting Structure Definitions Simplification Wrong Words

Book:Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007

Source: Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007

“Illusion - or rather appearance, semblance - is the theme of my life (could be theme of speech welcoming freshmen to the Academy). All that is, seems, and is visible to us because we perceive it by the reflected light of semblance. Nothing else is visible.”

Art Light Seems Painting Speech Illusion Appearance Welcome Perceive Theme Visible Academy Freshman Semblance

Book:Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

Source: Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

“Cage is much more disciplined. He made chance a method and used it in constructive ways; I never did that. Everything here is a little more chaotic.”

Way Littles Art Made Used Chance Painting Method Cages Constructive Chaotic

Book:Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

Source: Gerhard Richter: text : writings, interviews and letters, 1961-2007

“The urge to break with a tradition is only appropriate when you're dealing with an outdated, troublesome tradition: I never really thought about that because I take the old-fashioned approach of equating tradition with value (which may be a failing). But whatever the case, positive tradition can also provoke opposition if it's too powerful, too overwhelming, too demanding. That would basically be about the human side of wanting to hold your own.”

Source: Gerhard Richter: writings 1961-2007