December 2020 A 2021

Editor: This is Gerhard Richter’s "December 2020 A," created in 2021, using ink and graphite. It has a sort of ethereal, almost dreamlike quality to it. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a fascinating interrogation of the very act of creation, placed within the tumultuous context of 2020. The fluid ink washes, combined with the stark geometry of graphite lines, suggest a world simultaneously dissolving and being reconstructed. Consider Richter’s consistent engagement with abstraction; how might this piece reflect broader anxieties around representation and truth in a post-truth era, specifically through the lens of that very difficult year? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't thought about it as a reaction to the political climate. The pandemic definitely blurred the lines of what was real and what wasn’t, what with all the misinformation spreading. So you’re saying this abstract style actually reinforces that feeling of uncertainty? Curator: Precisely! The lack of fixed forms can be interpreted as a commentary on the instability of knowledge itself. Look at how the blue ink bleeds across the page. Does that suggest a contamination, a blurring of boundaries, a breakdown of structures? Also, think about how "abstraction" has been historically coded. Whose voices get heard or silenced in abstract art and art criticism? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s not just a pretty picture, but a statement about the times. It really gets you thinking about what was going on in the world when Richter created it. Thanks! Curator: And in thinking that way, we can avoid simply projecting meaning onto the work, but understand how it might speak *from* its time to our present moment.