Labyrinth 1948

Hans Richter made "Labyrinth" with a paintbrush and, it seems, a playful spirit. I can almost see him dancing around the canvas! The black and white shapes feel like they're pushing and pulling at each other, creating a sense of movement. It’s as if the painting is alive and breathing, constantly shifting and changing. The lines are like thoughts, snaking their way through the composition, connecting different ideas and emotions. I wonder if Richter felt lost in the process of making this painting, searching for a way out of his own mental labyrinth. I know I do when I'm painting! Thinking about Richter's Dada roots, I can see a kinship with other artists who were exploring abstraction, like Arp and Taeuber-Arp. They were all part of a big, beautiful conversation about what painting could be. The more I look at paintings like this one, the more I think of painting as a philosophical process, an ongoing quest for meaning in a world that often feels chaotic.