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拍品专文
Although the majority of Richter's work since the late 1970s are colourful abstractions of brushstrokes with no realistic subject, the artist contrasted these works with an elegant series of landscapes, seascapes and candle paintings, of which "Kerze" (1982) is a prime example. Whereas in both the landscape and seascape series the artist uses light as a means to enhance the atmospheric conditions of the given situation, the use of a small, singular flickering flame in "Kerze" creates a sensation of romanticism and spirituality. Like the skull motifs of the same period, "Kerze" alludes to 19th century Romantic still life painting. Jrgen Harten argued in 1986: "The Romantics taught us that the past and the sense of being lost are among the most sublime of nostalgic motifs, and the art of the past will awaken our longing for times gone by. Richter accepts the modern nostalgia because in flight from reality it is not so much an acknowledgement of the loss we have suffered as the attempt at least apparently to overcome this. For him, nostalgia is quite generally the most trivial denominator for the indispensability of art that is incidentally made a subject in a romantic way..." (J. Harten, "Gerhard Richter, Bilder Paintings 1962-1985", Cologne 1986, p. 47.)
The artist was, however, well aware of the fact that the symbol of the candle was out-dated and perhaps even associated with the concepts of kitsch. Regarding his choice of motifs, the artist himself commented in 1986: "What should I paint? How should I paint? The 'what' is the most difficult as it is the most essential. By comparison the 'how' is simple... In 1962 I found the first outlet; by painting from photos I was relieved of the obligations to choose and construct a subject. Admittedly, I had to choose the photographs but I was able to do this in a manner which avoided acknowledgement of the subject, namely through motifs which were less eye-catching and not 'of their time'." ("Gerhard Richter", London 1991, p. 118).
Furthermore, the undefined, otherwise flat, interior space of the painting is mystically embued with a sense of depth brought about by the sharp chiaro scuro play of light and shadow. This use of light arouses the viewer's expectation of the reality of the three-dimensional object and its surrounding space, only to be contradicted by Richter's painting technique. The flat application of the paint emphasises the two-dimensional nature of the smooth surface of the canvas, and further refers to the source of the painting which is a two-dimensional photograph. In addition, Richter actually destroys any real allusion to the candle as a source of romantic or religious symbolism by placing it in a non-descript, obviously modern interior. This desire to avoid a literal motif reflects the artist's disapproval of any narrative content in painting, since Richter believes the relationship of the painted image to reality should be no less complex than our inability to accurately perceive reality in life.
The artist was, however, well aware of the fact that the symbol of the candle was out-dated and perhaps even associated with the concepts of kitsch. Regarding his choice of motifs, the artist himself commented in 1986: "What should I paint? How should I paint? The 'what' is the most difficult as it is the most essential. By comparison the 'how' is simple... In 1962 I found the first outlet; by painting from photos I was relieved of the obligations to choose and construct a subject. Admittedly, I had to choose the photographs but I was able to do this in a manner which avoided acknowledgement of the subject, namely through motifs which were less eye-catching and not 'of their time'." ("Gerhard Richter", London 1991, p. 118).
Furthermore, the undefined, otherwise flat, interior space of the painting is mystically embued with a sense of depth brought about by the sharp chiaro scuro play of light and shadow. This use of light arouses the viewer's expectation of the reality of the three-dimensional object and its surrounding space, only to be contradicted by Richter's painting technique. The flat application of the paint emphasises the two-dimensional nature of the smooth surface of the canvas, and further refers to the source of the painting which is a two-dimensional photograph. In addition, Richter actually destroys any real allusion to the candle as a source of romantic or religious symbolism by placing it in a non-descript, obviously modern interior. This desire to avoid a literal motif reflects the artist's disapproval of any narrative content in painting, since Richter believes the relationship of the painted image to reality should be no less complex than our inability to accurately perceive reality in life.