“Cage” is a set of six large canvases that I
saw in October 2013 when visiting London’s Tate Modern, where they were the
only works on display in a single room.
Gerhard Richter is a German artist, born in
1932. The title derives from Richter’s admiration for the work of American
composer John Cage (1912-92), who once famously said “I have nothing to say and
I am saying it”. Richter played recordings of Cage’s minimalist music while he
was working on these canvases.
Richter was inspired by John Cage’s
rejection of intuition and his total randomness, in that both men resorted to
chance as their work progressed, resulting in constant flux.
In “Cage”, Richter’s techniques included
using squeegees and letting the paint stop where it wanted to, drying and
rippling where chance dictated. The result suggests running rivers and veils of
mist. In places the surface has been scraped to suggest concrete walls.
Does it work for you? Would you stop and
look or walk straight by?
© John Welford
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