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Gerhard Richter — Fenster (Window)
Gerhard Richter

Fenster (Window)

1985

This large scale abstract composition demonstrates Richter's signature photo painting technique, wherein photographic source material is systematically obscured and transformed through gestural oil paint application. Dominated by vivid yellows, greens, and reds, the work features sweeping brushstrokes and layered translucent passages that simultaneously reveal and conceal underlying imagery. The interplay between representational fragments and pure abstraction creates a dynamic visual tension, characteristic of Richter's exploration of painting's relationship to photography and perception. Executed in oil on canvas, the work exemplifies the artist's investigation of how meaning emerges and dissolves through successive acts of painting and scraping.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Overall

Notes

David Zwirner, 'Landschaften', May 7 – July 10, 2026, 537 West 20th Street, New York. Curated survey of Gerhard Richter's landscape painting from 1965 to 2005.

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About this work

Gerhard Richter, Fenster (Window), 1985

This large scale abstract composition demonstrates Richter's signature photo painting technique, wherein photographic source material is systematically obscured and transformed through gestural oil paint application. Dominated by vivid yellows, greens, and reds, the work features sweeping brushstrokes and layered translucent passages that simultaneously reveal and conceal underlying imagery. The interplay between representational fragments and pure abstraction creates a dynamic visual tension, characteristic of Richter's exploration of painting's relationship to photography and perception. Executed in oil on canvas, the work exemplifies the artist's investigation of how meaning emerges and dissolves through successive acts of painting and scraping.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 200 x 319.4 cm
Year
1985
Seen at
David Zwirner Gallery, Manhattan, United States

Related themes

Expressionist Brushwork, Obscured Imagery, Visual Perception, Layered Composition, Contemporary Abstraction, Process Based Art, Oil On Canvas, Translucent Surfaces, Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, Gestural Abstraction, Chromatic Intensity, Postmodern Painting, Large Scale, Photo Painting

More works by Gerhard Richter

Collected by

Art Institute of Chicago, Sebastián Naranjo, Brittany Laques, Kyle Stewart, Alex Capecelatro