Gerhard Richter Townscapes 1968

This birds eye view of Madrid was Painted by Gerhard Richter. The painting is constructed using gestural brush stokes and a black and white colour pallet. This painting displays a purity of painting, this is exhibited through the mark making that shapes the buildings. What becomes interesting is how the image disintegrates in certain places, this plays with the audiences urge to recognise the composition. The painting of Madrid however is one of the more clear and structured townscapes that Richter painted between 1968 and 1970. For example also in 1968 Richter painted 'Townscape Paris' where the image is swallowed by the gestural mark making applied to the painting. To create these pieces Richter took inspiration from architecture magazines which contained birdseye views of cities and architectural models. Despite taking inspiration from what would've been idealistic, modernist architecture Richter noted how closely some of his abstractions related to the destruction in Dreseden throughout the war.  "When I look back on the townscapes now, they do seem to me to recall certain images of the destruction of Dresden during the war."

Towscape Madrid (1968)

Townscape Paris (1968)

Dresden 1945