Gerhard Richter (born 9 February 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, and also photographs and glass pieces.
In his series ‘Panorama’ (Fig 14 – 21), there are eight over-painted photographs displayed. They are of small-scale (6×4 inches) – the typical format of a traditional family album. Underneath their painted surfaces these photographs depict intimate moments of family life. I find it interesting that Richter had the ability to disfigure such intimate family photos.
When painting, especially in my overpainted photos, I feel like I am painting randomly and that I am not controlling the paint, however as we have seen in Richter’s works, certain actions and markings are made in specific places. I think, for me, this largely falls down to wanting an even composition, as in most of my works I find it very difficult to have an uneven piece: I always want the picture to balance.
I am also very interested in Richter’s book ‘Atlas’ (Fig 22), where he presents photographs he has taken throughout his life. In my own work, I tend to document a lot. I am a very keen photographer, but I feel that I enjoy the documentation side of it more than just capturing a typically ‘beautiful’ image.
