Gerhard Richter (1932 Dresden) (F), Kanarische Landschaften I'

six coloured heliogravures on light machine-made cardboard, 1971, 39 cm x 50 cm sheet dimension, signed, 48/100 numbered, partly stain spotted, paper lightened, literature: Cat. rais. Butin 39a

Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden in 1932. After the artist studied in Dresden and at the Düsseldorf academy, he exhibited his first works. These translated the familiar newspaper clippings into black-white and blurred form. ''In painting from photographic originals, Richter finds his method for exploring the process of painting in its possibilities. In the process, the work is characterised by constant changes and breaks [...]''. This same inconsistency also describes his oeuvre, which is defined by groups of works that are contradictory or juxtaposed. The artist created portraits, colour panels, cityscapes and abstract paintings with grey or coloured streaks drawn with a squeegee. Likewise clouds, vanitas motifs, works with a high spatial effect or events. The artist also refers to his own collection of photographic works, which he often uses as models. The Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands is of volcanic origin. It is precisely this crater-like landscape, which tells of loneliness and pure fertile earth at the same time, that Richter has captured in heliogravures of great craftsmanship. To use this technique, a copper plate must first be cut to etch light into it. The chemical finenesses within the acid bath must be matched for the etching to be as even as possible. This copper plate can then be coated with coloured ink to complete the print. This technique enables the artist to support the photographs so that the landscapes of the Canary Islands gain depth and intensity.