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Notes
The two Gerhard Richter paintings entitled Man Shot Down 1 and 2 [CR: 669/1-2] depict the dead Andreas Baader, who was arrested as a co-founder of the terrorist organisation Red Army Faction (RAF) in June 1972. The pictures are based on police photographs capturing the circumstances after the discovery of the RAF suicides in Stuttgart-Stammheim prison on 18th October 1977.
Andreas Baader, lying diagonally on the floor, fills the landscape-format canvas of Man Shot Down 1 [CR: 669-1]. While his right arm lies against his body, his left arm is splayed out to one side. Baader's neck appears overextended, his mouth slightly open. Blood from Andreas Baader's head stains the floor. The weapon and the other objects lying scattered around Baader's head are difficult to discern in Richter's painting. The terrorist's black trousers are in stark contrast to his pale face and the white objects near his head, which stand out from the grey floor.
Whereas the first painting is similar to the original photograph because of the selected detail and a moderate blur, in Man Shot Down 2 the stronger blurring causes Baader to appear otherworldly. The boundaries between figure and background are blurred. Baader's face can no longer be identified without any further information. The viewer's angle seems to have changed slightly, and despite greater enlargement, no additional information can be detected.
In both versions of the painting, the splayed-out arm in particular indicates the death of the depicted person, illustrating the loss of control of one's own limbs.
This posture recalls, for example, depictions of the Pietà or Jacques-Louis David's history painting The Death of Marat. Such art historical references underline the role of death within the cycle of paintings.
Gerhard Richter describes his creative process of the series as follows: "The ones that weren't paintable were the ones I did paint. The dead. To start with, I wanted more to paint the whole business, the world as it then was, the living reality – I was thinking in terms of something big and comprehensive. But then it all evolved quite differently, in the direction of death. And that's really not all that unpaintable. Far from it, in fact. Death and suffering have always been an artistic theme." (Conversation with Jan Thorn-Prikker concerning the 18 October 1977, 1989 in: Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 227)
Gerhard Richter's paintings of the dead RAF members caused critical reactions, as did the publication of the source photographs in the German magazine Stern in October 1980. However, the reactions differ from each other according to Richter: "I'd say the photograph provokes horror, and the painting – with the same motif – something more like grief. That comes very close to what I intended." (Conversation with Jan Thorn-Prikker concerning the 18 October 1977, 1989, p. 229) Gerhard Richter's artistic adaptation creates a distance from the events and enables the beholder to reflect on the terrorists' deaths on a judgement-free level, without taking sides.
Notes prepared by editorial team -
Collection
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
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Exhibitions
- Gerhard Richter: Panorama
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France June 06, 2012 September 24, 2012
- Gerhard Richter: Panorama
Neue und Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany February 12, 2012 May 13, 2012
- Gerhard Richter: Panorama
Tate Modern, London, UK October 06, 2011 January 08, 2012
- Gerhard Richter. Bilder einer Epoche
Gerhard Richter: Images of an Era
Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany February 05, 2011 May 15, 2011
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Galerie Neue Meister, Albertinum, Dresden, Germany March 19, 2005 January 02, 2006
- Das MoMa in Berlin. Meisterwerke aus dem Museum of Modern Art, New York
MoMA in Berlin: Masterpieces from the Museum of Modern Art, New York
Neue Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany February 20, 2004 September 19, 2004
- Gerhard Richter: 40 Years of Painting
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., USA February 27, 2003 May 18, 2003
- Gerhard Richter: 40 Years of Painting
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, USA October 11, 2002 January 14, 2003
- Gerhard Richter: 40 Years of Painting
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA June 14, 2002 September 14, 2002
- Gerhard Richter: 40 Years of Painting
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA February 14, 2002 May 20, 2002
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA September 28, 2000 January 30, 2001
- Open Ends
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA September 28, 2000 March 04, 2001
- Szenenwechsel XIII
Change of Scene XIII
Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt am Main, Germany January 30, 1998 May 10, 1998
- Deutschlandbilder. Kunst aus einem geteilten Land
Images of Germany: Art from a Divided Country
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany September 07, 1997 January 11, 1998
- Szenenwechsel IX
Change of Scene IX
Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt am Main, Germany January 31, 1996 May 12, 1996
- Gerhard Richter – Paintings
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel September 19, 1995 December 03, 1995
- Public Information: Desire, Disaster, Document
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, USA January 18, 1995 April 30, 1995
- Gerhard Richter
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain June 07, 1994 August 22, 1994
- Gerhard Richter
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden March 12, 1994 May 08, 1994
- Gerhard Richter. Malerei 1962–1993
Gerhard Richter: Painting 1962–1993
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany December 10, 1993 February 13, 1994
- Gerhard Richter. Peinture
Gerhard Richter: Painting
Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France September 23, 1993 November 21, 1993
- Eröffnungsausstellung
Inaugural Exhibition
Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt am Main, Germany June 06, 1991 January 12, 1992
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston, USA January 18, 1991 March 18, 1991
- Gerhard Richter: 18 Oktober 1977 and Recent Abstractions
Lannan Foundation, Los Angeles, USA July 10, 1990 September 01, 1990
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada May 11, 1990 June 24, 1990
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, New York, USA March 05, 1990 April 21, 1990
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, USA January 06, 1990 February 04, 1990
- Gerhard Richter 1988/89
Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands October 15, 1989 December 03, 1989
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, UK August 23, 1989 October 01, 1989
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Portikus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany April 29, 1989 June 11, 1989
- Gerhard Richter. 18. Oktober 1977
Gerhard Richter: October 18, 1977
Museum Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany February 12, 1989 April 09, 1989
- Gerhard Richter: Panorama
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Videos
This artwork is shown in the following exhibition videos:
- Gerhard Richter: Panorama, Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany, 2012
- Images of an Era, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany, 2011
This artwork is mentioned in the following talks:
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Literature
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Schampers, Karel / Tilroe, Anna / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D.
Gerhard Richter 1988/89 Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1989 Mentioned: pp. 34, 35, 161Discussed: pp. 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41Illustrated: p. 85 (colour) -
Zweite, Armin
Gerhard Richter. Atlas Verlag Fred Jahn, München, 1989 Mentioned: p. 10 -
Butin, Hubertus
Zu Richters Oktober-Bildern Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, 1991 Discussed: p. 17Illustrated: p. 17 -
Obrist, Hans Ulrich / Pelzer, Birgit / Tosatto, Guy
Gerhard Richter. 100 Pictures Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit, 1996 Mentioned: p. 148 -
Obrist, Hans Ulrich / Pelzer, Birgit / Tosatto, Guy
Gerhard Richter. 100 Bilder Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit, 1996 Mentioned: p. 150 -
Elger, Dietmar
Gerhard Richter. Maler DuMont, Köln, 2002 Mentioned: pp. 406, 425, 430Discussed: pp. 122, 356, 366, 371, 377Illustrated: p. 365 -
Storr, Robert
Gerhard Richter. Forty Years of Painting The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 2002 Illustrated: p. 217 (colour) -
Storr, Robert
Gerhard Richter. Malerei Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2002 Illustrated: p. 217 (colour) -
Storr, Robert
Gerhard Richter. Doubt and Belief in Painting The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 2003 Mentioned: pp. 117, 199, 243, 245Illustrated: p. 192 -
Friedel, Helmut
Gerhard Richter. Atlas Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, 2006 Mentioned: pp. 8, 13, 14 -
Wilmes, Ulrich / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. / Söntgen, Beate / Stemmrich, Gregor
Gerhard Richter. Abstrakte Bilder Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2008 Mentioned: p. 33 -
Wilmes, Ulrich / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. / Söntgen, Beate / Stemmrich, Gregor
Gerhard Richter. Large Abstracts Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2008 Mentioned: p. 33 -
Elger, Dietmar / Roth, Martin / Stange, Eva-Maria
Gerhard Richter. Porträt Dr. Knobloch (Patrimonia 344) Kulturstiftung der Länder in Verbindung mit dem Gerhard Richter Archiv, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, 2009 Mentioned: p. 30
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Schampers, Karel / Tilroe, Anna / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D.