Gerhard Richter (born 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has simultaneously produced abstract and photorealistic painted works, as well as photographs and glass pieces. His art follows the examples of Picasso and Jean Arp in undermining the concept of the artist's obligation to maintain a single cohesive style. Richter is regarded as the top-selling living artist. In October 2012, Richter's Abstraktes Bild set an auction record price for a painting by a living artist at £21m ($34m). The Reader is one of Richter’s best known paintings of his wife Sabine reading a newspaper, seems to gently hum with precision and elegance. It's obvious snapshot origin cools the picture, reducing the sentimentality of this intimate portrait by retaining the mechanical effects of a lens. Lauren P., thanks for the inspiration!
The Reader
oil on canvas • 72 x 102 cm
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Gerhard Richter