In her academic paper Petra Goebel looks at Gerhard Richter’s south transept window for the Cologne Cathedral [CR: 900] in an art historical context.
Goebel analyses the tradition of gothic stained glass painting and also highlights the programme of the Cologne Cathedral’s windows. The paper examines how the south transept window fits into Gerhard Richter’s œuvre. The artist’s reference to earlier works is considered, as is the significance of glass as a medium.
Petra Goebel researches the artist’s approach, which, looking into historical stained glass windows, led to an abstract solution. With the aid of the principle of chance, Gerhard Richter created a contemporary stained glass window that blends into the historical environment of the sacred building.
