Miniaturen 1996

Editor: We're looking at Gerhard Richter's "Miniaturen," created in 1996 using acrylic paint. The bold contrast between the yellow and red sections feels so stark, almost aggressive, and the impasto texture makes it surprisingly tactile. What’s your take on this work? Curator: Oh, tactile aggression! I love that. For me, Richter is always a dialogue with painting itself. Look how he divides the canvas, setting up not just a colour clash, but two opposing painting styles – the methodical striations versus the blurred, almost violent application on the right. Do you see any hints of landscape, perhaps a sunset battling a storm front? Or is that just my imagination running wild, as usual? Editor: I can definitely see the landscape suggestion! It makes the aggressive contrast even more interesting. Do you think this hints at a broader meaning, maybe something about conflict? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe it's about Richter’s own internal conflicts, his constant questioning of representation. The beauty, the violence… it’s all there, wrestling for dominance. Richter gives us this tiny window, a miniature, but within it lies the whole world of painting and maybe even a reflection of our own turbulent souls. It asks, doesn't it? What is real, what is abstract, what do we even see? Editor: So, it's almost like a microcosm of art history itself? Curator: Exactly! He's teasing us. Seduce and destroy all at once. It's Richter’s method of questioning art's very foundation with cheeky disregard, leaving us delightfully unsure. Editor: That’s…brilliant. It really changes how I see abstract art now. Curator: Wonderful! He's still poking and provoking decades on – magic.