Lot 645 D

'Richter's drawings and watercolours were created in a series, often over a period of several years, with constantly changing themes. Several figurative drawings from the sixties are known; in 1977, he painted his first watercolours. A year later, a series of abstract pencil drawings were created during his stay in Halifax, and in 1985, he surprised his public again with a series of extraordinary watercolours. This exhibition with never before shown pencil drawings, watercolours, and oil paintings on paper demonstrates a new phase of his enormous creative energy, whereby the emphasis lies in the period from 1983 until today. During his studio visit on the occasion of the exhibition preparations, Gerhard Richter spoke of his diaries. Since many art critics have already dealt with Richter's work, which is difficult to classify, it seemed a good idea to let the artist speak for himself now, with a selection of his diary notes. Often these are very personal entries and for this reason alone I am grateful to him for the willingness to make them public on this occasion. The notes were mostly taken at night; not as statements, but as direct transcriptions of a certain mood and thus comparable to the works on paper, which also have more of this private spontaneity than the paintings.'
(Christiaan Braun, in: Richter werken op papier 1983-1986, Notities 1982-1986, Museum Overholland Amsterdam, Munich 1987, exhib.cat. p.3)

13.11.85 '”I have nothing to say and I say just that” no matter how and in what context Cage ever meant it - just as often as I suffer from it, just as often I am convinced that I am doing the right thing, the only natural thing. And the so-called others are either wrong by asserting or just as well by confusing their works with allegations. So the pictures never say anything anywhere, despite all ideology, and are always only efforts to get at the truth. I should be more specific. Even if I realise with joy that I'm doing the only natural thing, then -
I don't know anything, I can't do anything, I don't understand anything, I don't know anything. Nothing.
And this misery doesn't even make me particularly unhappy.'
(Gerhard. Richter, in: Richter werken op papier 1983-1986, Notities 1982-1986, Museum Overholland Amsterdam, Munich 1987, exhib.cat. pp.9-10)