Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing the documentary, Gerhard Richter Painting at the Denver Film Society. As far as artist documentaries go, this one was nice, not heavy handed in the slightest. One gets a real sense of Richter as a humble, private, hard working talent. The film nicely matches his energy and personality, or maybe vise versa. What is missing is a chronological look at his work, which may be unnecessary when you look at the prolific amount of work he has created over the years. His process, which is incredibly internal, is magnified to a point which makes him obviously uncomfortable. What you do get to see, although you may not understand, are the many hours, alterations and versions of a work in progress. The filmmakers morph and transition the image of a painting in progress step after step. It is a beautiful, contemplative aspect of the film which in a way brings you closer to understanding Gerhard Richter the artist than any of the dialogue surrounding the action of the film. There is a lot of talk and footage about whether or not a painting will be able to hold its ground, or withstand time in being determined as good work. It is not a film that idolizes the artist but instead allows a look into the process which is not glamorous but in fact work, hard work. It is the paintings themselves which seem to grow into larger than life personalities becoming performers in a spectacular show where Richter gets to hide behind the curtain.
For a trailer of the film click here
