Labyrinth 1948

Hans Richter made this painting, called Labyrinth, with oil on canvas. I’m struck by the way Richter lays down these shapes and lines; they’re so deliberate, yet they feel kind of intuitive, like he’s letting the painting guide itself, a method I'm a huge fan of. The paint isn’t trying to trick you into thinking it’s anything other than paint. It is a thick layer with visible brushstrokes, adding a tactile dimension to the abstract composition. Check out how the grey lines weave their way through the black and white areas. They almost look like pathways in a maze, some leading somewhere, others just looping around. And that little dab of red in the top left corner? It's like a visual anchor, giving the eye something to latch onto amidst all the meandering lines. This reminds me of work by Bridget Riley, another artist exploring how simple shapes and lines can create a dynamic visual experience. Ultimately, this painting invites us to get lost in its visual twists and turns, embracing the delightful ambiguity of abstraction.