Schweizer Alpen II - A1
Schweizer Alpen II - A1
Signed Print
Gerhard Richter
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Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 50
Year: 1969
Size: H 70cm x W 70cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2017 | Karl & Faber | Germany | |||
| June 2008 | Koller Zurich | Switzerland |
Meaning & Analysis
The work of seminal German artist Gerhard Richter, Schweizer Alpen II - A1 is part of the Swiss Alps collection. Issued in 1969 in a very limited edition of 50, the print is signed by the artist. A study of a mountainous landscape, Schweizer Alpen II - A1 sees Richter tease out a visual sense of the abstraction present in the natural world.
Like other works in the Swiss Alps collection, such as Schweizer Alpen II - A2, Schweizer Alpen II - B1, and Schweizer Alpen II - B2, this print is situated at the intersection between realism and abstraction. Like its close cousins, it sees Richter turn his hand to the depiction of a mountain scene in the Swiss Alps; copying the image from photograph - presumably filed away in his monumental photographic archive of Atlas - the artist opts for broad, gestural strokes of colour, which he uses to mark out the most prominent sections of the scene. Two contrasting monochromatic tones are used to ‘pick out’ a rocky, snow-covered arête, casting one side of the mountain in shadow.
Marked for its bold departure from photorealism, this print is testament to a methodological and thematic change in Richter’s œuvre during the late 1960s. During this period, Richter made a conscious departure from the historical portrait - a subject he tackled most famously in works such as Elisabeth II (1966) and Hund (1965). As these prints testify, his style around this period was staunchly semi-realist, and made continued use of the so-called ‘blur’ effect. In the mode of German Romantic painters, such as Caspar David Friedrich, Richter turned subsequently towards landscape. Working from photographs, he sustained a semi- or photorealist style, as is visible in the Canaries Landscapes collection. Here, however, Richter offers a foretelling of his later interest in Abstract painting, creating one of a number of impressionistic works that were to be ‘activated’ by the viewer’s gaze.
Hailing from Germany, Gerhard Richter has not been confined to one visual style. A testament to versatility and artistic diversity, Richter's work spans from photorealism to abstraction and conceptual art, and his portfolio is rich in varied media. From creating bold canvases to working on glass to distort the lines between wall-based art and sculpture, Richter has honed in on the blur technique to impart an ambiguity on his creations. To this day, Richter is one of the most recognised artists of the 20th century with his art having been presented in exhibitions worldwide. His global impact underscores his legacy as a trailblazer of artistic exploration.
