Page 27 - Studio International - September 1972

Düsseldorf itself the Zero Group (Mack, Uecker And he succeeded because he recognized that It is here that the charm and significance of
and Piene) was attempting most successfully to the fundamentally realistic qualities of Richter's early work lie. Dieter Honisch
conquer this new artistic territory and their photography could be used as the basis for art, characterizes Richter's work in this way in the
successes persuaded some that the art of no matter how banal the photographs to be Biennale catalogue: 'While Pop art, with its
painting was no longer viable. Richter, a painter copied were. Copying them also enabled him to connections with the world of posters and
of great natural facility and technical skill, was escape from the cult of the artist and the art consumer articles was celebrating its first
fully aware of the new developments, object and thus gain an important freedom. The triumphs, Richter laid the foundations of a kind
understood their implications and sympathized photograph and the artistic manipulation of it of painting which explored subjects which
with their aims. Yet he remained true to was something decidedly different from the seemed very sober at the time. He investigated
painting, believing that it would be possible to creation of a painting in the traditional way, the emotionless objectivity of the photograph ...
break through the restrictions imposed by made according to the autonomous laws of developed the aim of combining the objectivity
tradition while employing traditional means. painting. of his surroundings with the objectivity of the
picture. This was a new and at that moment
justifiable notion because the subjectivity of
kinds of painting like the Informal made them
less credible. This was also true of the object
made subjective by painting which dominated
the art of the 196os in countless figurative
variations. Pictorial composition which had at
one time justified the depiction of trivial reality
seemed similarly no longer credible. Only
reality itself was now held to be true and art had
to open out towards it in order to retain its
credibility. This change of emphasis caused by
the Nouveau Realism meant that the idea of the
picture as the illusion of personal freedom was
no longer necessary. The role of the picture as a
medium for personal communication was
denied and painting was now led towards the
registration of reality. Richter recognized early
Seascape 1970 Untitled 1968
200 X 200 50 X 50 CM.

Wine Harvest 1968
95 x 115 cm.

(Above) Cow 1964 Great Sphinx of Giseh 1965
(Left) Brigid Polk 1971
175x 175 cm. 130 x 150 cm. 120 X 130 cm.
77