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Lot Essay
A rich labyrinth of intensely gestural brushwork, Vermalung (Grau) by Gerhard Richter is an early, masterful example of the artist's burgeoning interest in the constructive power of grey. Executed in 1972, Vermalung (Grau) presents a spectrum of grey, with glimpses of pure white and black paint, the component elements of the neutral tone, interspersed along each individual gesture. In what appears to be countless layers, Richter offers a hypnotic, yet detached interpretation of the basis of painting: the brushstroke. A luscious network of interwoven movements from the artist's hand, Vermalung (Grau) is both direct and intricate, drawing the viewer's gaze into its elegant and manifold surface.
Grey has remained a constant presence in Richter's oeuvre, first employing it in his haunting, photorealist paintings. It was not until 1968, however, that he began to experiment with grey as method of delving into pure abstraction. In an act of artistic destruction, Richter would paint over failed canvasses, eclipsing the original painting with swathes of grisaille. Yet, through this negation, he observed the multifaceted potential of this achromatic tone: the nihilistic origins of the grey paintings had, in fact, engendered an infinite wealth of possibilities for the artist. What is assumed definite, one-dimensional and nullifying is transformed into a liberating and nuanced exploration into the sublimity of abstraction.
As Richter articulated: 'When I first painted a number of canvasses in grey all over, I did so because I did not know what to paint or what there might be to paint: so wretched a start could lead to nothing meaningful. As time went on, however, I observed differences of quality among the grey surfaces - and also that these betrayed nothing of the destructive motivation that lay behind them. The pictures began to teach me. By generalising a personal dilemma, they resolved it. Destitution became a constructive statement; it became relative perfection, beauty and therefore painting' (G. Richter quoted in 'From a Letter to Edy de Wilde, 23 February 1975', D. Elger, Gerhard Richter: A Life in Painting, Cologne 2002, p. 219).
Grey has remained a constant presence in Richter's oeuvre, first employing it in his haunting, photorealist paintings. It was not until 1968, however, that he began to experiment with grey as method of delving into pure abstraction. In an act of artistic destruction, Richter would paint over failed canvasses, eclipsing the original painting with swathes of grisaille. Yet, through this negation, he observed the multifaceted potential of this achromatic tone: the nihilistic origins of the grey paintings had, in fact, engendered an infinite wealth of possibilities for the artist. What is assumed definite, one-dimensional and nullifying is transformed into a liberating and nuanced exploration into the sublimity of abstraction.
As Richter articulated: 'When I first painted a number of canvasses in grey all over, I did so because I did not know what to paint or what there might be to paint: so wretched a start could lead to nothing meaningful. As time went on, however, I observed differences of quality among the grey surfaces - and also that these betrayed nothing of the destructive motivation that lay behind them. The pictures began to teach me. By generalising a personal dilemma, they resolved it. Destitution became a constructive statement; it became relative perfection, beauty and therefore painting' (G. Richter quoted in 'From a Letter to Edy de Wilde, 23 February 1975', D. Elger, Gerhard Richter: A Life in Painting, Cologne 2002, p. 219).