Lot Essay
Adler was painted in 1972, shortly before Richter completed the "Forty-Eight Portraits" for the German Pavilion at the 1972 Venice Biennale.
At the time, Richter had moved away from using newspapers and magazines as source material for his work. He wanted to move further away from direct references and used impersonal, official images that might be found in a dictionary or encyclopedia. These works were more photographic in appearance, but often more painterly in their execution. Richter had previously used images of animals, such as deer, cattle, dogs and tigers in the early 1960s.
Adler, 1972 is painted with dense, lush strokes reminiscent of the Stadtbilds and mountain scapes of 1968 and 1969. However, Adler also anticipates the abstract paintings which were soon to emerge after the Forty-Eight Portraits. Like the subjects of The Forty-Eight Portraits, the heroic eagle also suggests history. However, it is a neutralized image devoid of emotion or reference, maintaining Richter's desire to deny authorship and style.
At the time, Richter had moved away from using newspapers and magazines as source material for his work. He wanted to move further away from direct references and used impersonal, official images that might be found in a dictionary or encyclopedia. These works were more photographic in appearance, but often more painterly in their execution. Richter had previously used images of animals, such as deer, cattle, dogs and tigers in the early 1960s.
Adler, 1972 is painted with dense, lush strokes reminiscent of the Stadtbilds and mountain scapes of 1968 and 1969. However, Adler also anticipates the abstract paintings which were soon to emerge after the Forty-Eight Portraits. Like the subjects of The Forty-Eight Portraits, the heroic eagle also suggests history. However, it is a neutralized image devoid of emotion or reference, maintaining Richter's desire to deny authorship and style.