Photo Paintings
Analysis of Gerhard Richter’s "Photo Paintings"
I have a special interest in Gerhard Richter’s "photo painting", This series of paintings has a unique mystical color, which is the point that attracts me, and my paintings have similarities with his "photo paintings".
Richter's "photo-paintings" are often overexposed, out of focus, and blurry . I also like to use this way to paint, so that the objects or figures I draw look blurry and unclear. For example, my White Hat (Figure 1) and Dish (Figure 2), I don’t want the audience to just focus on the objects I depict, I hope that in this way, the audience can have new thoughts on the objects, such as the symbolism and mystery of the objects.
Figure 2，Wei Huang，White Hat，2022
oil on canvas
Figure 3，Wei Huang，Dish，2022
oil on canvas
When it comes to Richter's "Photo Painting", he does not want to accurately show the original appearance of the photo in the oil painting, but to create a certain characteristic in the work with a blurred image. In his painting "Girl Reading a Newspaper"（figure 3） , the painting is clear at first glance like a photograph, but upon closer inspection, the characters' hair, newspapers and background objects all have an illusory sense of mystery. He also painted a number of newspaper-reading themes, but he switched from the front side to the back side. The people and objects in the paintings were blurred to the point of abstraction. This blur is not virtual in the general sense, but the feeling that the photo is out of focus. However, when such photographic works are painted as oil paintings, they become very moving. This moving power comes not only from the painting skills, but also from the painter's choice of materials. As a result, the viewer will have a sense of alienation from time passing and life like a dream in front of these "fuzzy" works, which is exactly what I want to express in my creation.
Figure 3，Richter, Girl Reading a Newspaper，1994
oil on canvas
Richter was more interested in "banal" snapshots than "artistic" photographs. Because he believes that the so-called harmony and structural effects pursued by "artistic" photos are lacking in content; on the contrary, the mediocre family photos are really full of vitality. In 1995, he created the "S. and Child"(Figure 4 )series of works, like a shutter pressed at will, showing the natural state of privacy. Due to the soft color and blurred shape, it fully shows the artist's naive nature and inner sensitivity. Spend.
Figure 4，Richter, S. and Child，1995
oil on canvas
In 1968 he stated this decisive step in the development of his artistic creation: "One day I was no longer satisfied with drawing pictures. I began to use the characteristics of photography, such as accuracy, indistinctness and fantasy, to create Portals, Curtains, and Pipelines." In the color palette, color aggregation (Vermalungen), and gray style, Gerhard Richter expanded his original painting scheme, using new, abstract painting strategies, without giving up on photographic painting. Drawings obtained in . The subjectless work is also dominated by a sense of distance, objectivity and unstructuredness.
Reference:
Gerhard Richter (1994) Girl Reading a Newspaper [Oil on canvas]. Location of the work (Viewed: date).
Gerhard Richter (1995) S. and Child [Oil on canvas]. Location of the work (Viewed: date).