Stadtbild TR
Townscape TR
1969 each panel 174 cm x 124 cm (three parts) Catalogue Raisonné: 217/1-3
Oil on canvas
In contrast to the aerial photographs, some of which depict entire areas of towns, the townscapes are from a shorter distance, having been based on photographs of architectural models. Gerhard Richter omits entirely or only hints at details such as windows; the architecture is reduced to basic forms, leaving the distinct geometric shapes of individual buildings clearly recognizable.
The buildings are mainly rendered in light colours, with the prominent shadows in the paintings conveying the impression of bright sunlight. The paint is applied extensively; only some parts, often depicting trees or bushes, show distinct brushwork and additional shades of grey.
The unreal, partly sterile feel of the image can be attributed to both the reduction in detail and the use of an architectural model as the source image.
The three-part work Townscape TR can be considered a high point of the paintings based on architectural models, as suggested by Gerhard Richter himself: 'In this painting the model does not fit together – there is a sense of discontinuity about the image. I think very few of the paintings after architectural models are successful, with the exception of this one. I was able in this painting to achieve a sense of presence. I put the paint on very thickly in black and white, creating with the two a grey. It was quite musical, almost like a fugue.'1
The simplified architectural forms illustrate how, while Gerhard Richter deals with the process of abstraction in this series, the motif always remains identifiable.
The depictions of minimalist architecture of the post-war era reflect an important sociopolitical issue of the 1950s and 1960s. In the course of the rebuilding of war-damaged Germany, new buildings of the kind depicted replaced lost houses. Thus, these paintings illustrate the optimistic fresh start made after the Second World War and can be understood as a counterpoint to the townscapes that are reminiscent of bombed-out cities.
1 Comments on some works, 1991 in: Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 263
Notes prepared by editorial team
Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, Germany
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