The Artwork of Gerhard Richter: Painting, Critical Theory and Cultural Transformation

By uniquely treating Gerhard Richters entire oeuvre as a single subject, Darryn Ansted combines research into Richters first art career as a socialist realist with study of his subsequent decisions as a significant contemporary artist. Analysis of Richters East German murals, early work, lesser known paintings, and destroyed and unfinished pieces buttress this major re-evaluation of Richters other well known but little understood paintings. By placing the reader in the artists studio and examining not only the paintings but the fraught and surprising decisions behind their production, Richters methodology is deftly revealed here as one of profound yet troubled reflection on the shifting identity, culture and ideology of his period. This rethinking of Richters oeuvre is informed by salient analyses of influential theorists, ranging from Theodor Adorno to Slavoj iek, as throughout, meticulous visual analysis of Richters changing aesthetic strategies shows how he persistently attempts to retrace the border between an objective reality structured by ideology and his subjective experience as a contemporary painter in the studio. Its innovative combination of historical accuracy, philosophical depth and astute visual analysis will make this an indispensible guide for both new audiences and established scholars of Richters painting.