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Gerhard Richter — Kapelle (Chapel)
Gerhard Richter

Kapelle (Chapel)

1995

This work presents an abstracted landscape composed of horizontal bands of teal, cream, and dark brown tones, with gestural marks and scraped passages that obscure any clear representational content. Richter employs his characteristic squeegee technique, drawing the tool across wet paint to create linear striations and areas of controlled chaos that hover between figuration and abstraction. The layered application of oil paint generates a complex surface that suggests both water and earth, mountains and sky, without settling on any single interpretation. True to Richter's photo painting practice, the work oscillates between the photographic and the painterly, inviting viewers to negotiate between optical illusion and material fact. The painting exemplifies Richter's engagement with landscape as a site of visual uncertainty and formal investigation.

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, Kapelle (Chapel), 1995

This work presents an abstracted landscape composed of horizontal bands of teal, cream, and dark brown tones, with gestural marks and scraped passages that obscure any clear representational content. Richter employs his characteristic squeegee technique, drawing the tool across wet paint to create linear striations and areas of controlled chaos that hover between figuration and abstraction. The layered application of oil paint generates a complex surface that suggests both water and earth, mountains and sky, without settling on any single interpretation. True to Richter's photo painting practice, the work oscillates between the photographic and the painterly, inviting viewers to negotiate between optical illusion and material fact. The painting exemplifies Richter's engagement with landscape as a site of visual uncertainty and formal investigation.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 67 x 92 cm
Year
1995
Seen at
David Zwirner Gallery, Manhattan, United States

Related themes

German Contemporary, Photo-Painting, Layered Surfaces, Water And Land, Oil On Canvas, Post-Minimalist, Materialist Practice, Gestural Abstraction, Squeegee Technique, Chromatic Abstraction, Teal And Brown, Horizontal Composition, Blurred Representation, Abstract Landscape

More works by Gerhard Richter

Collected by

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