Cage Grid 2011

Gerhard Richter made this painting, titled "Cage Grid," and what strikes me is how he lets the painting happen, lets it be a process. The yellows, greens, and whites aren't just laid down; they're smeared and scraped, creating this push-and-pull effect. Up close, you can see the physicality of the paint, how it's both transparent and opaque, thick and thin. There's a spot, lower left, where the colors bleed into each other, almost like watercolor, but then right next to it, a swipe of white that looks like it was dragged across with a palette knife. That tension, that back-and-forth, is where the energy of the piece lives. It's like a dance between control and chance. Richter reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly, in the sense of embracing the mess, the imperfection. But while Twombly's work feels more like a direct expression of emotion, Richter's has this cool, almost detached quality. Like he's setting the stage for something to happen, but not quite sure what it will be.