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Gerhard Richter — Italienische Landschaft (Italian Landscape)
Gerhard Richter

Italienische Landschaft (Italian Landscape)

1966

This atmospheric landscape depicts a mountainous terrain shrouded in mist and low lying clouds, with a prominent peak emerging from the haze at center. The composition is dominated by a dark water or valley floor in the lower two thirds, while the upper portion shows mountains gradually receding into fog and overcast sky. Richter employs his characteristic photo painting technique, translating photographic source material into oil paint with soft, diffused brushwork that emphasizes atmosphere over detail. The muted palette of grays, blues, and whites creates a sense of distance and obscured vision, typical of his engagement with the relationship between photography and painting. The work exemplifies Richter's investigation of how mechanical reproduction and hand application of paint can convey landscape experience and perception.

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, Italienische Landschaft (Italian Landscape), 1966

This atmospheric landscape depicts a mountainous terrain shrouded in mist and low lying clouds, with a prominent peak emerging from the haze at center. The composition is dominated by a dark water or valley floor in the lower two thirds, while the upper portion shows mountains gradually receding into fog and overcast sky. Richter employs his characteristic photo painting technique, translating photographic source material into oil paint with soft, diffused brushwork that emphasizes atmosphere over detail. The muted palette of grays, blues, and whites creates a sense of distance and obscured vision, typical of his engagement with the relationship between photography and painting. The work exemplifies Richter's investigation of how mechanical reproduction and hand application of paint can convey landscape experience and perception.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 107.3 x 113 cm
Year
1966
Seen at
David Zwirner Gallery, Manhattan, United States

Related themes

Perception Of Nature, Figurative Abstraction, Photo-Painting, Abstract Realism, Atmospheric Landscape, Blurred Vision, Gestural Technique, Oil On Canvas, Conceptual Landscape, Mountain Scenery, 1960s Modernism, Minimalist Composition, Northern European Landscape, Photorealist Influence, Monochromatic Palette, Mist And Fog, Italian Landscape, Gray Scale Tonality

More works by Gerhard Richter

Collected by

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