"Station" by Gerhard Richter

Project 5

Laura Carpenter

I visited the North Carolina Art museum for the very first time last week in order to find a piece of art to write about for a project. I was pleasantly surprised. The very first piece that caught my eye is the one below by the name of “Station”; German artist, Gerhard Richter, painted it. He is famous for his large array of work, from portraits to abstract, he shows talent, and even though he claims that his painting is “weak”. Richter grew up in Germany during World War II, which gave him a greater appreciation for the arts and learning, once Germany gained back the freedom to read what they wanted when the war was over. Richter was associated with Pop art, Minimalism and conceptual art. Pop art is based on modern popular culture, and mass media. Minimalism is an art form that focuses on simplicity and tends to be grandiose. Lastly, conceptual art is where the idea presented by the artist is more important than the final art form. He uses all these forms of art throughout his artwork, whether he incorporates them all into one piece, or just uses one form in a piece. Usually, I am not a fan of abstract art, but the boldness in this painting drew me in. Using a selection of his artwork, I hope to further define the purpose of “Station”.

This is the beautiful “Station”, painted in 1985 with oil on canvas. It’s been in exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Savannah Georgia and now Raleigh, North Carolina. Its square canvas is supposed to allude to simplicity, when, in reality, it is the opposite. The large red stripe moving through the center of the painting instantly stands out, and grabs the eye, along with the vertical yellow ribbon. When you ponder on what “Station” might mean, it is up for interpretation; Richter never defined what it meant, but many skeptics think that ‘Station” was painted just for the beauty it gives. In the exhibitions that it was part of, there were many others that were similar in style and color. The boldness of the colors, along with the lines draws in anyone passing by.

This is appropriately titled “Hitler”, done in 1962 with oil on canvas. It is actually a piece of Richter’s art that disappeared, and is believed to have been destroyed due to the opposing voices of those who did not want to look back at their years during the war. Many Germans were no longer proud of what their nation had been under Hitler, and therefore were not fans of this particular piece, however, Richter stayed bold in his work. I think this piece starts to define Richter as a person, as well as a painter. He did not look to his peers or critics to tell him what to paint; instead, he created what he believed needed to be heard. Although Richter was bold in creating this piece, something about it bothered him, and he was the one to destroy it. Richter has constantly proclaimed himself as his own biggest critic, and therefore, has destroyed many pieces that he did not believe worthy, when, in reality, they are worth crazy amounts of money.

Another one of Richter’s works is called “Stadtbild F”, which, translated, means “Townscape F”. It was painted in 1968, and was another oil on canvas painting. When looking at the painting, it is hard at first to determine what it even is. Once we are told the title, we can start to discern that it represents a town, with buildings and streets. It almost looks as if he did a sloppy job when defining the lines for buildings and roads, but this was done on purpose. Richter stated “when I look back on the townscapes now, they do seem to me to recall certain images of the destruction of Dresden during the war” (Richter, 1991). I think between this painting, and the Hitler painting, it is obvious that Richter’s early years of growing up during World War II had a large impact on his life that even carried over into his art. I think this painting is also important because it shows how he made something real, and concrete, into something more abstract, and it is easier to see how this relates to “Station”.

The past two paintings I showed were black and white, and dreary. This portrait-type painting is known as “Inge” (coloured), done in 1965 with oil on canvas. It shows a blurred girl smiling; we don’t know what she’s smiling at, so maybe she is just purely happy. Not much is known about this painting, and yet, it has been featured in multiple exhibitions. I think this speaks to Richter’s quality of work, and how anything he decides to paint can be mesmerizing. The background is dreary and scary, and yet the girl is still smiling. Richter’s childhood was dark and full of scary, terrible times, yet he still came out on the other side.

        Lastly, this is a picture taken of Richter’s series of paintings known as “48” portraits. “’48 Portraits’ is his attempt to establish a cultural paternity inextricably linked to the disasters of National Socialism and Stalinism” (City Review). It is also realized that these 48 men excluded women, politicians, and artists and instead held writers, composers, philosophers and scientists. These men he picked were men who represented a “humanist tradition intolerable to authorities regimes”(City Review). He chose men who, in a way, represented himself. These pieces also hang in one of the most notable art museums in the world: the MOMA. These are clear-cut, no-nonsense portraits, rather than blurry portraits, or slightly abstract ones. Richter had a reason for every artwork he ever produced, for every portrait, as well as every abstract painting. He wanted us to feel what he was feeling, and see what he sees. I think it is important to understand his entire body of work in order to better understand “Station”.