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1
00:00:57,528 --> 00:00:59,688
Something must be missing.
2
00:01:06,008 --> 00:01:08,368
I don't know what's wrong.
3
00:01:09,608 --> 00:01:11,408
But it's your tripod.
4
00:01:11,648 --> 00:01:15,008
Yes, but I can't tighten it.
5
00:01:21,928 --> 00:01:24,527
Nice. But why is it crooked?
6
00:01:34,808 --> 00:01:36,768
It has to be straight.
7
00:01:37,608 --> 00:01:39,448
Does it have a zoom?
8
00:04:25,568 --> 00:04:27,648
They don't have numbers yet?
9
00:04:27,888 --> 00:04:28,888
No.
10
00:04:55,328 --> 00:04:57,207
Will they stay like this?
11
00:04:57,648 --> 00:04:59,288
Presumably.
12
00:05:00,568 --> 00:05:03,208
They look finished, don't they?
13
00:05:32,648 --> 00:05:34,968
The paintings have changed a lot.
14
00:05:35,207 --> 00:05:36,968
Yes, yes.
15
00:05:38,768 --> 00:05:40,328
That's the thing:
16
00:05:40,648 --> 00:05:43,648
they do what they want.
17
00:05:44,248 --> 00:05:46,808
I planned something totally different.
18
00:05:47,207 --> 00:05:49,207
Pretty colorful.
19
00:06:06,128 --> 00:06:09,688
This is the floor plan
of the Goodman Gallery in New York.
20
00:06:09,928 --> 00:06:14,088
We always work on a scale of 1:50.
21
00:06:14,488 --> 00:06:16,688
These were just placeholders.
22
00:06:16,928 --> 00:06:20,168
The pictures weren't finished yet,
but the format was set.
23
00:06:20,408 --> 00:06:23,528
Now the pictures
are most likely finished,
24
00:06:24,168 --> 00:06:28,568
so we can photograph them
and print them out 1:50.
25
00:06:30,768 --> 00:06:34,088
He said he's already hung
two 1.8-meter canvases.
26
00:06:34,328 --> 00:06:37,688
I can make them, too.
There's enough space,
27
00:06:39,728 --> 00:06:42,048
but they're not painted yet.
28
00:08:58,008 --> 00:09:01,168
Gerhard Richter, born in 1932,
29
00:09:01,448 --> 00:09:04,208
lived in East Germany
until a few years ago,
30
00:09:04,448 --> 00:09:08,128
but the painting style prescribed there
didn't suit him.
31
00:09:08,768 --> 00:09:11,768
Well trained in Social Realism,
32
00:09:12,008 --> 00:09:14,728
he turned to Western clichés,
33
00:09:15,088 --> 00:09:18,008
calling the results "Capitalist Realism".
34
00:09:18,568 --> 00:09:23,128
To talk about painting is not only
difficult but perhaps pointless, too.
35
00:09:23,368 --> 00:09:28,088
You can only express in words
what words are capable of expressing,
36
00:09:28,328 --> 00:09:30,808
what language can communicate.
37
00:09:31,048 --> 00:09:33,408
Painting has nothing to do with that.
38
00:09:33,768 --> 00:09:39,008
That includes the typical question:
"What were you thinking of?"
39
00:09:40,008 --> 00:09:44,128
You can't think of anything;
painting is another form of thinking.
40
00:09:44,488 --> 00:09:49,248
What interests me in general,
and this also applies to painting,
41
00:09:49,488 --> 00:09:51,888
are things I don't understand.
42
00:09:52,768 --> 00:09:58,208
It's like that with every picture:
I don't like the ones I understand.
43
00:10:31,128 --> 00:10:32,168
There.
44
00:10:36,408 --> 00:10:37,648
Number one.
45
00:10:39,808 --> 00:10:42,208
What are you preparing that for?
46
00:10:45,568 --> 00:10:47,408
For the abstracts.
47
00:10:48,608 --> 00:10:53,488
For the realist paintings
he uses mainly tube paint.
48
00:10:54,328 --> 00:10:58,928
- It's of even higher quality.
- This is for the big squeegee.
49
00:10:59,448 --> 00:11:02,648
So the paint spreads
smoothly and evenly.
50
00:11:03,688 --> 00:11:08,328
Lumps in the paint, of course,
affect the layer below.
51
00:11:08,848 --> 00:11:12,008
You then get grooves in the paint
52
00:11:12,608 --> 00:11:17,248
or something like a little avalanche.
So the paint has to be clean.
53
00:11:22,488 --> 00:11:23,568
Need help?
54
00:11:23,808 --> 00:11:25,688
No, it's OK, I'm enjoying it.
55
00:11:26,048 --> 00:11:27,208
Enjoy it, then.
56
00:11:27,448 --> 00:11:30,408
- Which colors does he use?
- The classics...
57
00:11:32,968 --> 00:11:34,688
titanium white,
58
00:11:35,208 --> 00:11:36,608
ivory black,
59
00:11:36,968 --> 00:11:38,728
cadmium shades, red,
60
00:11:39,448 --> 00:11:41,008
ultramarine,
61
00:11:42,008 --> 00:11:43,288
lemon yellow.
62
00:11:44,208 --> 00:11:48,768
Nothing exotic like Neapolitan yellow,
and no earth tones.
63
00:14:24,768 --> 00:14:27,128
I'll leave it be for a while.
64
00:20:37,288 --> 00:20:38,768
Hard to say.
65
00:20:40,488 --> 00:20:42,928
They could be a bit better.
66
00:20:46,408 --> 00:20:50,208
I should find a way of making them
67
00:20:52,088 --> 00:20:56,568
that's just as fast, just as fancy-free,
68
00:20:58,128 --> 00:21:01,448
but would leave them finished, too.
69
00:21:02,368 --> 00:21:03,888
And good.
70
00:21:04,688 --> 00:21:06,768
These won't hold up long here.
71
00:21:09,128 --> 00:21:10,368
It's like this:
72
00:21:10,608 --> 00:21:13,488
it's so much fun and they look good
73
00:21:14,048 --> 00:21:15,688
for two hours.
74
00:21:20,488 --> 00:21:22,248
Sometimes for a day.
75
00:21:30,808 --> 00:21:33,648
The second one's a bit nicer.
76
00:21:35,368 --> 00:21:36,408
Why?
77
00:21:38,808 --> 00:21:40,968
It's more open and...
78
00:21:42,848 --> 00:21:44,208
cheerful.
79
00:21:45,368 --> 00:21:49,528
There's a nice little spot
in the middle with that structure.
80
00:22:10,208 --> 00:22:13,248
Maybe this time
they'll stay so colorful!
81
00:22:13,608 --> 00:22:15,208
Not just grey.
82
00:22:15,688 --> 00:22:17,848
- I don't think so.
- No.
83
00:22:18,928 --> 00:22:20,688
But it's a shame.
84
00:22:22,928 --> 00:22:25,128
They'd be much more "in"
85
00:22:27,248 --> 00:22:29,208
out there in the world.
86
00:22:34,488 --> 00:22:36,888
This is just a grey surface.
87
00:22:38,008 --> 00:22:39,368
Painted grey.
88
00:22:40,848 --> 00:22:42,168
It surprised me, too:
89
00:22:42,888 --> 00:22:45,528
when I started
to make grey paintings
90
00:22:45,968 --> 00:22:49,768
my motivations
weren't very serious...
91
00:22:51,128 --> 00:22:54,688
But then I noticed
differences in quality:
92
00:22:55,888 --> 00:22:59,208
they were all grey,
but some were better.
93
00:23:00,168 --> 00:23:02,968
Perhaps my fondness for grey
94
00:23:03,448 --> 00:23:05,168
comes from photographs,
95
00:23:05,408 --> 00:23:08,448
but now it has
96
00:23:08,688 --> 00:23:11,008
nothing to do with them.
97
00:23:11,408 --> 00:23:13,368
It's all about painting.
98
00:24:47,648 --> 00:24:49,648
This is just where I am.
99
00:24:52,328 --> 00:24:54,128
I'm used to it.
100
00:24:54,608 --> 00:24:59,088
If chance had brought me elsewhere,
101
00:24:59,808 --> 00:25:01,928
then I'd love it there.
102
00:25:03,208 --> 00:25:05,128
Or like it at least.
103
00:25:07,888 --> 00:25:10,288
Cologne is a bit ugly.
104
00:25:10,888 --> 00:25:12,488
Very ugly.
105
00:25:16,728 --> 00:25:18,968
Here, the middle of town...
106
00:25:19,688 --> 00:25:21,728
What a mess!
107
00:25:42,448 --> 00:25:47,848
- The light is my biggest worry.
- The light is crap, but we'll fix it.
108
00:25:48,128 --> 00:25:49,448
You see there:
109
00:25:49,688 --> 00:25:51,048
it's pink.
110
00:25:51,288 --> 00:25:53,928
Yes, and yellow here, greenish yellow
111
00:25:54,168 --> 00:25:55,928
and sparkling pink there.
112
00:25:56,168 --> 00:25:59,168
But after a while you won't notice it.
113
00:25:59,448 --> 00:26:02,208
You can put spotlights everywhere.
114
00:26:02,968 --> 00:26:06,368
The ceiling would be fantastic
115
00:26:06,728 --> 00:26:08,568
if you just took off the grid.
116
00:26:08,808 --> 00:26:11,288
I don't like that "industrial look".
117
00:26:11,528 --> 00:26:14,008
But this is much worse:
the "stuffy look".
118
00:26:14,248 --> 00:26:16,408
But you won't notice it in the exhibition.
119
00:26:16,648 --> 00:26:19,328
- Of course I will!
- No, you won't! - I always have!
120
00:26:26,128 --> 00:26:29,528
Just replace all the fluorescent tubes
and add a few more.
121
00:26:30,488 --> 00:26:32,408
So it's really bright.
122
00:26:34,368 --> 00:26:37,968
I just want to see the naked lights.
123
00:26:38,968 --> 00:26:41,168
That would be great!
124
00:26:41,648 --> 00:26:43,488
It'd be wonderful.
125
00:26:43,848 --> 00:26:46,008
No one looks up there.
126
00:26:47,848 --> 00:26:49,968
The frame will stay.
127
00:26:50,208 --> 00:26:52,448
And so will the grid.
128
00:26:52,928 --> 00:26:57,408
I mean we could remove the grid
and leave the frame.
129
00:26:57,648 --> 00:27:01,528
We can manage that:
cold, neutral lighting.
130
00:27:04,048 --> 00:27:06,408
The exhibition is pretty ruthless.
131
00:27:06,648 --> 00:27:09,008
Just the large abstracts.
132
00:27:09,248 --> 00:27:13,808
So it might be a good idea
to have a cold or neutral atmosphere.
133
00:27:14,168 --> 00:27:16,328
It has to be really cold!
134
00:27:16,568 --> 00:27:18,088
A cold light.
135
00:27:18,568 --> 00:27:21,168
So that people are happy to get out.
136
00:27:22,448 --> 00:27:24,808
They shouldn't feel comfortable.
137
00:27:55,128 --> 00:27:59,768
EXHIBITION "ABSTRACT PAINTINGS"
OCTOBER, 2008
138
00:29:09,728 --> 00:29:12,048
Initially, the idea was
139
00:29:12,448 --> 00:29:16,048
to exhibit only paintings
140
00:29:16,408 --> 00:29:18,688
from 1985 to 1990.
141
00:29:18,928 --> 00:29:21,608
We had a concept for that.
142
00:29:22,408 --> 00:29:25,928
That was an important period
for Richter.
143
00:29:26,248 --> 00:29:30,288
He agrees
that those are mature works.
144
00:29:30,528 --> 00:29:34,208
Not that he doesn't
value the earlier ones,
145
00:29:34,648 --> 00:29:37,448
but he finds these "mature"...
146
00:29:38,848 --> 00:29:41,008
as the Americans say.
147
00:29:41,248 --> 00:29:43,408
"Grown-up" paintings.
148
00:30:16,728 --> 00:30:17,968
Kasper!
149
00:30:19,168 --> 00:30:21,288
Don't desert me, come here.
150
00:30:22,248 --> 00:30:24,368
- Pardon?
- Don't desert me.
151
00:30:29,888 --> 00:30:31,328
Mr. Richter...
152
00:30:34,448 --> 00:30:36,088
Over here, please!
153
00:30:43,648 --> 00:30:48,008
Mr. Richter, you're considered
a master of changing styles.
154
00:30:48,448 --> 00:30:51,288
Are all your different work groups
155
00:30:51,528 --> 00:30:53,768
equally important to you?
156
00:30:54,088 --> 00:30:56,368
Or do you have preferences?
157
00:30:56,688 --> 00:30:59,408
There are always preferences.
158
00:31:00,088 --> 00:31:03,528
They can't all have
the same significance.
159
00:31:05,408 --> 00:31:09,088
It's like one day and another.
The meaning always varies.
160
00:31:10,288 --> 00:31:11,888
I can't list
161
00:31:12,608 --> 00:31:14,848
all of my preferences here.
162
00:31:15,728 --> 00:31:18,368
They change, too. In any case,
163
00:31:18,888 --> 00:31:21,088
to answer your question: it varies.
164
00:31:21,608 --> 00:31:24,888
You're one of
the world's most famous artists.
165
00:31:25,128 --> 00:31:27,128
How do you deal with fame?
166
00:31:27,368 --> 00:31:29,208
Is it a burden
167
00:31:29,448 --> 00:31:30,808
or do you ignore it?
168
00:31:31,048 --> 00:31:32,488
You can't, can you?
169
00:31:37,448 --> 00:31:40,928
Well, it varies. It's wonderful,
170
00:31:41,368 --> 00:31:43,368
but you have no time to paint.
171
00:31:43,608 --> 00:31:46,008
That's a problem. You can suffer.
172
00:32:08,168 --> 00:32:09,568
Over here, please.
173
00:32:10,368 --> 00:32:12,368
Towards me once more.
174
00:32:14,048 --> 00:32:16,648
And to the side. That's it.
175
00:32:18,408 --> 00:32:20,888
- You already have so many!
- One more...
176
00:32:24,968 --> 00:32:28,008
Oh, just throw them all away.
177
00:32:30,368 --> 00:32:32,408
- I'm not at all radical.
- Pardon?
178
00:32:32,648 --> 00:32:33,848
Hello, Mr. Arns.
179
00:32:34,088 --> 00:32:35,488
I'm not radical.
180
00:32:35,728 --> 00:32:39,648
Is it possible
to be too hyped during your lifetime?
181
00:32:43,288 --> 00:32:46,848
Would you like to help us
hang two paintings upstairs?
182
00:32:47,688 --> 00:32:49,808
I just want to get out of here.
183
00:32:52,008 --> 00:32:54,808
Mr. Richter, I have a little request...
184
00:32:55,368 --> 00:32:57,248
My girlfriend is a big fan.
185
00:32:58,568 --> 00:32:59,808
Could you...?
186
00:33:00,048 --> 00:33:01,928
Not right now.
187
00:33:02,568 --> 00:33:04,888
Let's just go over there.
188
00:33:21,488 --> 00:33:23,368
We're almost there.
189
00:33:37,408 --> 00:33:40,808
I should have brought the photo.
There it is.
190
00:33:42,208 --> 00:33:43,808
Nice, isn't it?
191
00:33:46,088 --> 00:33:47,168
A fence.
192
00:33:47,408 --> 00:33:48,408
Yes.
193
00:33:48,648 --> 00:33:50,888
The lighting makes a big difference.
194
00:33:51,208 --> 00:33:53,128
It was sunny then.
195
00:34:00,248 --> 00:34:04,128
A lot of work for a little picture.
196
00:34:05,128 --> 00:34:07,328
This is my "mini cage".
197
00:34:20,648 --> 00:34:22,248
And that one there?
198
00:34:22,608 --> 00:34:23,928
Courbet, isn't it?
199
00:34:24,288 --> 00:34:25,368
The tree.
200
00:34:26,168 --> 00:34:27,688
A beautiful picture.
201
00:34:28,288 --> 00:34:30,928
And so modern. I think...
202
00:34:34,848 --> 00:34:38,848
You could photograph
or see a tree that way today.
203
00:34:40,007 --> 00:34:41,688
And the sculpture?
204
00:34:42,728 --> 00:34:44,967
That's amazing...
205
00:34:45,568 --> 00:34:49,088
I wonder what makes it so good.
206
00:34:49,447 --> 00:34:51,288
It has the right quality...
207
00:34:54,368 --> 00:34:56,487
the one I believe in.
208
00:34:56,928 --> 00:35:00,208
It's something that belongs to art
209
00:35:00,648 --> 00:35:03,168
and could be in any artwork
210
00:35:03,888 --> 00:35:05,888
but, in fact, it's rare.
211
00:35:07,648 --> 00:35:09,288
It's very curious.
212
00:35:09,528 --> 00:35:12,168
You need a critical eye for pictures,
213
00:35:12,528 --> 00:35:14,128
your own as well.
214
00:35:14,368 --> 00:35:17,968
Yes, but I have a lot to compare with...
215
00:35:18,208 --> 00:35:21,088
Theoretically, if there were no decline,
216
00:35:21,328 --> 00:35:25,568
your storehouse of treasures up here
217
00:35:27,528 --> 00:35:29,288
would just keep growing.
218
00:35:29,608 --> 00:35:32,688
That's what I use for comparison.
219
00:35:34,568 --> 00:35:38,128
But this here is a special case
because of the mutilation.
220
00:35:38,368 --> 00:35:41,168
I don't know what effect that has.
221
00:35:43,488 --> 00:35:45,928
Beautiful colors and shapes, lovely.
222
00:35:46,168 --> 00:35:47,968
But the mutilation...
223
00:35:49,448 --> 00:35:52,408
Most likely, the contrast
224
00:35:53,608 --> 00:35:55,488
makes it more beautiful.
225
00:35:55,928 --> 00:35:57,728
It's quite brutal.
226
00:36:02,008 --> 00:36:04,528
I regard it with caution.
227
00:36:05,408 --> 00:36:09,168
- And the movement it expresses?
- Yes, that's pretty good.
228
00:36:09,408 --> 00:36:13,008
- She's leaning to the side.
- Look at her arms.
229
00:36:13,848 --> 00:36:15,288
And the one behind you?
230
00:36:15,528 --> 00:36:18,008
That was an invitation.
231
00:36:18,368 --> 00:36:20,688
A Picasso graphics exhibition.
232
00:36:20,928 --> 00:36:24,528
Photographed,
mirror-inverted and enlarged.
233
00:36:24,768 --> 00:36:26,848
I wanted to know
234
00:36:27,288 --> 00:36:29,928
what it can tell me today.
235
00:36:30,488 --> 00:36:35,128
This brutal thing here with its growths,
236
00:36:36,128 --> 00:36:38,728
its deformed, squashed head...
237
00:36:40,488 --> 00:36:43,008
And that's an astonishing photo.
238
00:36:46,248 --> 00:36:51,728
It's fascinating
how peaceful it looks, how normal.
239
00:36:53,528 --> 00:36:56,768
When you look closely, they're having
240
00:36:57,128 --> 00:36:59,688
a nice little chat.
241
00:37:00,528 --> 00:37:04,968
But this is the commando
that was forced to burn corpses.
242
00:37:11,568 --> 00:37:13,528
I can't explain it.
243
00:37:14,408 --> 00:37:15,928
It's crazy.
244
00:37:17,008 --> 00:37:21,408
He's standing as if balancing on a log,
245
00:37:21,648 --> 00:37:23,488
so normal.
246
00:37:23,968 --> 00:37:28,408
Can you remember the first time you saw
something like this after the war?
247
00:37:28,648 --> 00:37:31,088
At the academy in Dresden,
right at the start.
248
00:37:31,328 --> 00:37:34,328
American documentary photography,
249
00:37:34,808 --> 00:37:35,928
not smuggled,
250
00:37:36,288 --> 00:37:39,328
but somebody had it and we looked at it.
251
00:37:40,128 --> 00:37:43,088
It hasn't let me go since.
252
00:37:45,088 --> 00:37:46,168
The images
253
00:37:46,408 --> 00:37:49,168
and reports of these atrocities.
254
00:44:16,088 --> 00:44:18,968
I don't know what to do next.
255
00:45:10,608 --> 00:45:12,568
It's not working.
256
00:45:13,448 --> 00:45:15,368
- It's not working today?
- No.
257
00:45:16,688 --> 00:45:19,328
I can't smear that on after all.
258
00:45:20,368 --> 00:45:22,088
That was an error.
259
00:45:25,008 --> 00:45:27,008
- The blue paint?
- Yes.
260
00:45:33,608 --> 00:45:36,528
We should talk about the film now.
261
00:45:38,208 --> 00:45:41,528
What would happen
if you used the blue squeegee?
262
00:45:41,848 --> 00:45:44,168
It would totally destroy it.
263
00:45:44,408 --> 00:45:49,168
It was an overblown idea
to add that now.
264
00:45:51,888 --> 00:45:53,968
Because you were at a loss?
265
00:45:54,248 --> 00:45:58,168
There's always that,
that's not the problem.
266
00:46:04,128 --> 00:46:05,888
It won't work.
267
00:46:17,888 --> 00:46:21,528
At the moment it seems hopeless.
I don't think I can do this:
268
00:46:21,768 --> 00:46:24,368
painting under observation.
269
00:46:24,808 --> 00:46:26,168
That's...
270
00:46:28,048 --> 00:46:30,528
...the worst thing there is.
271
00:46:31,008 --> 00:46:35,008
- The worst thing?
- Yes, worse than being in the hospital.
272
00:46:38,088 --> 00:46:41,688
It's been a while
since I was in the hospital,
273
00:46:41,928 --> 00:46:44,568
but I felt just as exposed.
274
00:46:50,008 --> 00:46:53,848
Maybe the Philip Glass film isn't so bad.
275
00:46:54,088 --> 00:46:57,048
Walking in the street and so on...
276
00:48:28,488 --> 00:48:31,408
You said
you were unhappy about the camera.
277
00:48:31,648 --> 00:48:33,768
It's watching me.
278
00:48:35,128 --> 00:48:37,168
And because I know that...
279
00:48:41,128 --> 00:48:42,968
I walk differently...
280
00:48:44,688 --> 00:48:46,968
Something's just different.
281
00:48:55,528 --> 00:48:59,728
Painting is a secretive business anyway.
282
00:49:02,128 --> 00:49:05,248
Someone who's not suited for the public,
283
00:49:06,168 --> 00:49:08,368
who's rather quiet,
284
00:49:10,808 --> 00:49:13,408
who's a bit cowardly out there...
285
00:49:13,648 --> 00:49:19,008
Someone who wouldn't speak up in public
but then goes for it here in secret.
286
00:49:20,928 --> 00:49:23,568
I remember how I used to worry:
287
00:49:23,808 --> 00:49:28,208
being afraid when I showed something
that people wouldn't notice.
288
00:49:30,008 --> 00:49:32,380
Notice what?
That you had let it all hang out?
289
00:49:32,422 --> 00:49:33,848
Yes.
290
00:49:36,568 --> 00:49:42,088
It's a nice feeling
between being caught and...
291
00:49:44,808 --> 00:49:46,848
being seen.
292
00:49:47,248 --> 00:49:49,008
Being seen?
293
00:49:49,248 --> 00:49:54,328
For the quality to be recognized
and the mistakes perhaps overlooked...
294
00:49:54,888 --> 00:49:56,768
It's a complex thing:
295
00:49:57,088 --> 00:50:00,888
something you do in secret
and then reveal in public.
296
00:50:02,288 --> 00:50:04,488
You can also hide behind it.
297
00:50:05,448 --> 00:50:07,368
- Behind the pictures?
- Yes.
298
00:50:11,368 --> 00:50:14,968
- I don't quite understand that.
- Neither do I.
299
00:50:20,288 --> 00:50:22,048
It's an...
300
00:50:24,168 --> 00:50:26,248
aggressive business,
301
00:50:26,888 --> 00:50:28,568
or occupation.
302
00:50:28,808 --> 00:50:30,808
I like how Adorno explained it:
303
00:50:31,048 --> 00:50:33,408
you can't put pictures together.
304
00:50:33,648 --> 00:50:39,008
Paintings are always "mortal enemies".
That's the correct term.
305
00:50:40,648 --> 00:50:43,128
It has to do with destruction.
306
00:50:43,728 --> 00:50:48,928
Each painting is an assertion
that tolerates no company.
307
00:52:16,248 --> 00:52:18,088
This picture is in London now?
308
00:52:18,328 --> 00:52:21,368
Yes, I drew it again,
but the second one is often...
309
00:52:21,608 --> 00:52:25,128
BENJAMIN BUCHLOH, ART HISTORIAN
310
00:52:25,368 --> 00:52:26,648
Where are the flowers?
311
00:52:32,168 --> 00:52:34,088
- Too bad.
- Not there.
312
00:52:34,968 --> 00:52:38,168
The black and white one there.
That's this one.
313
00:52:39,408 --> 00:52:41,488
A really tragic picture.
314
00:52:41,728 --> 00:52:45,328
- Here you can see it better.
- Oh yes, the albino figure.
315
00:52:45,888 --> 00:52:46,928
Goodness!
316
00:52:51,608 --> 00:52:54,048
You can't tell what it was modeled after.
317
00:52:54,248 --> 00:52:56,048
Looks like Cranach.
318
00:52:58,648 --> 00:53:02,408
This is our little boy.
It's varnished here now.
319
00:53:05,008 --> 00:53:07,128
The original is a school picture.
320
00:53:07,488 --> 00:53:12,208
These are the only three
that are still interesting.
321
00:53:12,488 --> 00:53:15,168
- Which ones?
- The distorted, figurative ones.
322
00:53:15,848 --> 00:53:20,928
The flower, the little head...
That's probably the best one.
323
00:53:21,568 --> 00:53:23,208
And the red one?
324
00:53:24,888 --> 00:53:26,448
- It works.
- Yes.
325
00:53:26,688 --> 00:53:28,448
Good, isn't it?
326
00:54:11,448 --> 00:54:13,648
When I first approach a canvas,
327
00:54:13,888 --> 00:54:19,048
theoretically and practically
I can smear anything I want on it.
328
00:54:20,248 --> 00:54:24,808
Then there is a condition
I must react to
329
00:54:25,368 --> 00:54:27,328
by changing it
330
00:54:28,088 --> 00:54:30,408
or destroying it. There's no concept.
331
00:54:30,648 --> 00:54:34,448
It's not like a figurative painting
with a template.
332
00:54:34,688 --> 00:54:40,288
Something happens spontaneously.
Not by itself, but without plan or reason.
333
00:54:45,528 --> 00:54:48,448
So it's about not having a plan.
334
00:54:48,688 --> 00:54:51,488
And my first thought is:
335
00:54:51,848 --> 00:54:54,448
Automatism, a 20th century movement
336
00:54:54,688 --> 00:54:57,528
that proposed painting without a plan.
337
00:54:57,768 --> 00:55:01,008
- But that's not the case.
- No.
338
00:55:01,248 --> 00:55:05,248
It's not the idea that without a plan
the subconscious will articulate itself.
339
00:55:05,488 --> 00:55:08,928
Or the other model: without a plan...
340
00:55:11,368 --> 00:55:13,813
you avoid compositionality.
Like Ellsworth Kelly.
341
00:55:13,855 --> 00:55:14,885
Not that, either.
342
00:55:14,928 --> 00:55:16,968
Composition by chance.
343
00:55:17,208 --> 00:55:18,848
So the question is:
344
00:55:20,528 --> 00:55:24,248
you paint without a plan
but you know exactly when it's right.
345
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:28,968
So what's the correlation between
planlessness and making the judgment:
346
00:55:29,328 --> 00:55:31,368
"Now it's a painting"?
347
00:55:34,528 --> 00:55:37,928
Each step forward is more difficult
and I feel less and less free
348
00:55:39,168 --> 00:55:43,408
until I conclude
there's nothing left to do.
349
00:55:45,048 --> 00:55:50,008
When, according to my standard,
nothing is wrong anymore, then I stop.
350
00:55:50,248 --> 00:55:52,048
Then it's good.
351
00:55:52,288 --> 00:55:54,248
And what's right and wrong?
352
00:55:54,488 --> 00:55:57,968
The wrong consciousness,
material or process?
353
00:55:58,288 --> 00:55:59,888
It just doesn't look good.
354
00:56:00,128 --> 00:56:01,208
Then it's wrong.
355
00:56:01,448 --> 00:56:04,008
Can we dig deeper
than looking good or bad?
356
00:56:04,248 --> 00:56:06,728
- It's extremely difficult.
- It is.
357
00:56:06,968 --> 00:56:09,008
We're all completely equal here.
358
00:56:09,248 --> 00:56:12,848
The producer and consumer,
artist and observer,
359
00:56:13,688 --> 00:56:16,768
both must have one quality:
360
00:56:17,528 --> 00:56:21,008
to be able to see if it's good or not.
To make that judgment.
361
00:56:21,248 --> 00:56:23,488
Is "good" related to "truth"?
362
00:56:23,728 --> 00:56:25,568
Yes, of course.
363
00:56:25,808 --> 00:56:28,368
So there's a component of truth
364
00:56:28,648 --> 00:56:32,088
- that a picture must express to be good?
- Yes.
365
00:56:51,848 --> 00:56:53,528
And that goes there.
366
00:56:53,768 --> 00:56:55,928
Isn't that right? Yes.
367
00:57:10,368 --> 00:57:13,648
I'd really love to paint over this one.
368
00:57:14,208 --> 00:57:15,928
- White!
- Take it back?
369
00:57:16,168 --> 00:57:18,528
- No, bring the paint here.
- That's easier.
370
00:57:26,808 --> 00:57:27,848
A ladder.
371
00:57:28,648 --> 00:57:32,328
I'm anxious to see
what happens over the next two weeks.
372
00:57:33,208 --> 00:57:35,768
Whether they'll stay like this
or get painted over.
373
00:57:39,488 --> 00:57:44,168
- Might they be painted over?
- Sure. If they don't stand their ground.
374
00:57:46,048 --> 00:57:51,008
They have to hold up here for a while.
If they're still good, they've made it.
375
00:57:52,368 --> 00:57:54,008
If not, they'll be painted over.
376
00:58:12,688 --> 00:58:16,648
It's got to go on the wall,
even if I do paint over it.
377
00:58:37,568 --> 00:58:39,408
That one gave me a real fright.
378
00:58:39,768 --> 00:58:42,008
I thought it was horrible.
379
00:58:43,048 --> 00:58:44,728
- That one?
- Yes.
380
00:58:45,368 --> 00:58:48,168
It's nuts, but that feeling's fading.
381
00:59:15,248 --> 00:59:17,448
You have to understand it first.
382
00:59:26,728 --> 00:59:28,368
You can't influence it.
383
00:59:28,608 --> 00:59:30,408
What can't you influence?
384
00:59:30,728 --> 00:59:33,448
You can't influence the painting
385
00:59:33,848 --> 00:59:36,328
by saying something about it.
386
00:59:38,568 --> 00:59:41,768
If I say: "Great, leave it like that",
387
00:59:42,048 --> 00:59:45,168
he's more likely
to consider changing it.
388
00:59:46,768 --> 00:59:48,248
Why?
389
00:59:49,688 --> 00:59:53,208
Maybe because
he was looking for a reason.
390
00:59:56,128 --> 00:59:57,608
- To change it?
- Yes.
391
00:59:57,848 --> 01:00:02,008
When someone likes it too much,
he has a reason to destroy it.
392
01:00:03,008 --> 01:00:04,488
Of course!
393
01:00:05,968 --> 01:00:07,488
I think so.
394
01:00:08,848 --> 01:00:13,488
- How come?
- Everybody knows the feeling:
395
01:00:13,888 --> 01:00:16,768
you love something, talk it all up,
396
01:00:17,008 --> 01:00:19,208
and two days later you suddenly see:
397
01:00:19,448 --> 01:00:20,928
complete rubbish.
398
01:00:22,088 --> 01:00:24,288
All wrong. It's no good.
399
01:00:24,968 --> 01:00:27,728
Two days later, it's a bit better again.
400
01:00:28,048 --> 01:00:29,888
It needs some time.
401
01:00:32,448 --> 01:00:35,128
After a while you just know.
402
01:00:36,968 --> 01:00:40,408
"Director's Choice"
wants to print a painting.
403
01:00:40,648 --> 01:00:44,488
KONSTANZE ELL, STUDIO MANAGER
404
01:00:47,648 --> 01:00:49,248
Richter Studio, Ell speaking.
405
01:00:49,488 --> 01:00:52,208
Mrs. Richter,
can your husband call back?
406
01:00:52,568 --> 01:00:53,608
Thanks.
407
01:00:53,848 --> 01:00:55,608
- Your wife.
- OK?
408
01:00:56,208 --> 01:00:58,528
I have this for you, too.
409
01:00:59,848 --> 01:01:03,808
- He won't be here until October.
- Good. 2011.
410
01:01:04,088 --> 01:01:08,448
We have a file on the planned exhibition
if you're interested.
411
01:03:23,808 --> 01:03:25,848
That's the disadvantage.
412
01:03:28,088 --> 01:03:31,368
- Which one? The white one?
- The white one.
413
01:03:39,888 --> 01:03:42,808
The risk is
that I whitewash the other one, too.
414
01:03:43,048 --> 01:03:46,488
- All the more reason to put it away.
- Yes.
415
01:03:52,688 --> 01:03:57,248
Now it has a definite advantage
amidst all the whiteness here.
416
01:03:57,728 --> 01:03:59,168
All the whiteness?
417
01:03:59,408 --> 01:04:01,048
Everything's white.
418
01:04:01,888 --> 01:04:04,328
And that one's snowed over.
419
01:04:07,728 --> 01:04:09,448
It has no...
420
01:04:11,608 --> 01:04:13,088
no gimmicks.
421
01:04:14,568 --> 01:04:15,928
No lines.
422
01:04:16,328 --> 01:04:18,528
- Exactly.
- No nothing.
423
01:04:18,768 --> 01:04:22,368
- Just the things that happen to be there.
- Yes.
424
01:04:43,728 --> 01:04:46,608
Mr. Richter,
you once called painting
425
01:04:46,848 --> 01:04:49,648
a moral act.
What did you mean?
426
01:04:50,008 --> 01:04:55,048
Painting isn't just a question of
aesthetics, of painting pretty pictures,
427
01:04:55,648 --> 01:04:57,888
which perhaps isn't very difficult.
428
01:04:58,368 --> 01:04:59,968
That's all I meant.
429
01:05:00,328 --> 01:05:04,008
Do you mean
the artist's private morality
430
01:05:04,248 --> 01:05:06,368
and honesty towards his work
431
01:05:06,608 --> 01:05:10,768
or social morality,
an artist's role in society?
432
01:05:11,248 --> 01:05:12,248
Both.
433
01:05:12,568 --> 01:05:16,968
It starts with one's personal morality,
but you're not alone.
434
01:05:18,128 --> 01:05:21,248
You're automatically part of society.
435
01:05:54,328 --> 01:05:56,808
Where did all these photos come from?
436
01:05:57,048 --> 01:06:01,968
I've dragged them around forever.
In boxes, but disorganized.
437
01:06:05,328 --> 01:06:08,968
Now I want to put them in order.
438
01:06:10,648 --> 01:06:12,688
What can I throw away?
439
01:06:13,408 --> 01:06:15,568
What was when?
440
01:06:16,488 --> 01:06:18,808
Look how little I was!
441
01:06:19,968 --> 01:06:23,328
Four years old, maybe five.
442
01:06:24,528 --> 01:06:30,408
You get so used to photos, you think
you know the guy, but it's not true...
443
01:06:32,968 --> 01:06:35,408
You know the world of the photos,
444
01:06:35,648 --> 01:06:37,928
but not the world they photographed.
445
01:06:38,168 --> 01:06:39,848
I can't remember it.
446
01:06:43,928 --> 01:06:45,968
The photos create a world,
447
01:06:46,968 --> 01:06:50,808
but I don't know
what's happening outside of the frame.
448
01:06:55,448 --> 01:06:57,248
I don't even know where it is.
449
01:06:57,488 --> 01:06:59,128
I don't know this woman.
450
01:06:59,368 --> 01:07:03,208
It's my mother.
I know that from the photo,
451
01:07:03,808 --> 01:07:07,968
but not because I remember it.
How old was I, two?
452
01:07:11,848 --> 01:07:15,368
Oh, that explains the suit:
it's my sister's christening.
453
01:07:28,688 --> 01:07:30,528
It's a massive intervention.
454
01:07:31,168 --> 01:07:33,088
It was something unknown
455
01:07:33,408 --> 01:07:35,128
before photography.
456
01:07:36,648 --> 01:07:39,728
I don't get it. Intervention into what?
457
01:07:40,128 --> 01:07:41,688
Into our...
458
01:07:41,928 --> 01:07:44,528
knowledge, our consciousness.
459
01:07:44,768 --> 01:07:48,648
Having photos
that can document every step.
460
01:07:50,008 --> 01:07:52,288
I should throw them away.
461
01:07:52,608 --> 01:07:54,648
But can you part with them?
462
01:07:55,008 --> 01:07:57,448
That's what I'm trying to figure out,
463
01:07:58,048 --> 01:08:00,888
if it wouldn't be better to forget.
464
01:08:02,968 --> 01:08:06,088
- And your profession?
- It developed slowly.
465
01:08:06,328 --> 01:08:09,128
First I simply enjoyed doing it.
466
01:08:09,368 --> 01:08:12,768
And I couldn't imagine
it could be a profession.
467
01:08:13,208 --> 01:08:16,808
So we searched for something
that seemed like a sound profession:
468
01:08:19,167 --> 01:08:20,968
in a printing shop.
469
01:08:21,528 --> 01:08:24,848
My mother took me there
470
01:08:25,288 --> 01:08:28,048
to get me an apprenticeship.
471
01:08:28,368 --> 01:08:30,448
It was noisy and it stank
472
01:08:30,688 --> 01:08:32,728
so I refused to do it.
473
01:08:35,208 --> 01:08:38,608
When you see the guys at the presses,
474
01:08:39,247 --> 01:08:41,208
you know how awful it is.
475
01:08:42,688 --> 01:08:45,167
I don't remember where else we went.
476
01:08:47,167 --> 01:08:49,167
And then it started slowly.
477
01:08:49,407 --> 01:08:52,327
Your mother wanted you to have a job.
478
01:08:52,728 --> 01:08:55,487
Yes, but something that suited me.
479
01:08:55,728 --> 01:08:58,128
You need a profession, after all.
480
01:09:01,448 --> 01:09:05,247
Then I wanted to become a doctor,
but that didn't work out.
481
01:09:05,608 --> 01:09:09,407
So I made a start
as a dental technician.
482
01:09:10,368 --> 01:09:11,728
That was dreadful.
483
01:09:15,208 --> 01:09:17,728
I'll never forget that tour
484
01:09:18,888 --> 01:09:21,728
through factories in Zittau.
485
01:09:26,327 --> 01:09:28,608
Waking up to reality
486
01:09:29,368 --> 01:09:30,888
is terrifying.
487
01:11:26,648 --> 01:11:27,888
The little girl.
488
01:13:30,728 --> 01:13:32,168
Good morning.
489
01:13:34,648 --> 01:13:35,888
Hello.
490
01:16:16,528 --> 01:16:17,608
Where is that?
491
01:16:17,848 --> 01:16:20,327
In the academy. This is our teacher,
492
01:16:20,568 --> 01:16:24,128
Heinz Lohmar.
His paintings weren't so great.
493
01:16:24,368 --> 01:16:26,368
I was in his class.
494
01:16:27,487 --> 01:16:29,648
But he wasn't a leader.
495
01:16:29,888 --> 01:16:33,048
Other teachers were like saints.
496
01:16:34,048 --> 01:16:36,208
Just like the students
497
01:16:37,008 --> 01:16:39,487
who wanted to go to Beuys:
498
01:16:39,768 --> 01:16:41,208
they needed
499
01:16:41,448 --> 01:16:42,968
a saint.
500
01:16:46,008 --> 01:16:48,008
I could never bare that.
501
01:16:48,288 --> 01:16:51,848
So he was great,
a down-to-earth Rhinelander!
502
01:16:53,728 --> 01:16:57,088
But later you said:
you have to and want to believe.
503
01:16:57,327 --> 01:16:59,487
We do, every day...
504
01:17:01,528 --> 01:17:04,608
Preferably with caution and skepticism.
505
01:17:08,728 --> 01:17:12,888
I'll never forget
a fellow student at the academy
506
01:17:13,128 --> 01:17:15,368
who painted flowers.
507
01:17:17,928 --> 01:17:20,808
He sat there at the easel,
508
01:17:21,048 --> 01:17:23,327
whistling for joy.
509
01:17:23,568 --> 01:17:26,288
And I thought: "Stay critical, boy.
510
01:17:26,528 --> 01:17:28,648
You're deceiving yourself,
511
01:17:28,888 --> 01:17:31,928
pumping yourself up to like it."
512
01:17:35,368 --> 01:17:37,088
A bit neurotic, really.
513
01:17:43,288 --> 01:17:45,928
How can you explain your maturity
514
01:17:46,168 --> 01:17:48,407
at such a young age?
515
01:17:55,487 --> 01:17:56,487
No idea.
516
01:17:56,728 --> 01:17:59,568
There must've been a kind of benchmark.
517
01:18:00,128 --> 01:18:02,288
You can keep looking for it,
518
01:18:02,528 --> 01:18:04,728
that so-called benchmark.
519
01:18:09,487 --> 01:18:11,248
Seeing the photographs,
520
01:18:11,487 --> 01:18:13,327
I thought of your mother.
521
01:18:13,568 --> 01:18:16,848
She set pretty high standards herself.
522
01:18:17,928 --> 01:18:19,208
Well,
523
01:18:19,448 --> 01:18:22,728
it makes for a catchy story:
524
01:18:22,968 --> 01:18:25,448
I grew up reading Nietzsche and Goethe...
525
01:18:25,688 --> 01:18:27,808
But that wasn't really...
526
01:18:28,288 --> 01:18:31,327
And I didn't always believe her either.
527
01:18:36,128 --> 01:18:38,288
You didn't believe her?
528
01:18:39,048 --> 01:18:40,368
No.
529
01:18:44,728 --> 01:18:46,448
As a child you want to...
530
01:18:46,688 --> 01:18:49,368
You don't want to believe them.
531
01:18:49,608 --> 01:18:54,168
You have to distrust your parents and
you can see through them pretty well.
532
01:19:16,168 --> 01:19:20,048
You left Dresden, East Germany, in 1961.
533
01:19:20,487 --> 01:19:22,487
Did you ever see them again?
534
01:19:23,088 --> 01:19:24,407
No, never.
535
01:19:27,208 --> 01:19:30,128
I was a recognized refugee.
536
01:19:31,888 --> 01:19:34,688
A certified political refugee.
537
01:19:35,768 --> 01:19:37,848
And it wasn't possible.
538
01:19:40,968 --> 01:19:43,008
I couldn't get a permit...
539
01:19:44,848 --> 01:19:47,407
a travel permit for the East.
540
01:19:48,208 --> 01:19:53,008
Not until 1987
when I had an exhibition there.
541
01:19:55,608 --> 01:19:57,888
With the ambassador...
542
01:20:02,448 --> 01:20:05,088
suddenly everything was possible.
543
01:20:07,128 --> 01:20:09,728
But they were all dead by then.
544
01:20:11,288 --> 01:20:15,048
Did you realize in the early 60s
you'd never see them again?
545
01:20:15,288 --> 01:20:16,928
No, absolutely not.
546
01:20:20,568 --> 01:20:24,407
You think things will change
and that it won't last.
547
01:20:25,008 --> 01:20:29,048
You don't think
people will grow old and die.
548
01:20:29,848 --> 01:20:32,968
When you leave them, they're young,
549
01:20:33,448 --> 01:20:35,768
50 or younger.
550
01:20:37,968 --> 01:20:40,487
You think they'll stay that way.
551
01:20:53,968 --> 01:20:56,487
Like bodies preserved in glaciers...
552
01:20:58,368 --> 01:21:01,008
found 50 years later.
553
01:21:01,568 --> 01:21:03,608
You hear those stories.
554
01:22:33,128 --> 01:22:36,608
They're too spectacular.
I can't really say.
555
01:22:36,848 --> 01:22:39,368
I haven't seen them in a long time.
556
01:22:40,608 --> 01:22:43,648
The last time, in Berlin, was horrific.
557
01:22:44,008 --> 01:22:46,368
They were so artificially staged.
558
01:22:46,888 --> 01:22:50,048
The MOMA in Berlin, a famous exhibition.
559
01:22:50,288 --> 01:22:53,768
The whole room was like cheap theatre.
560
01:23:00,608 --> 01:23:03,928
How long did you work
on the October Cycle?
561
01:23:04,688 --> 01:23:07,128
One whole summer.
562
01:23:09,848 --> 01:23:12,568
That was a difficult subject.
563
01:23:16,848 --> 01:23:17,848
Well...
564
01:23:18,088 --> 01:23:20,327
I did it. It's a job
565
01:23:20,568 --> 01:23:22,327
when you do it.
566
01:23:22,688 --> 01:23:25,128
Doing it makes you feel good.
567
01:23:28,968 --> 01:23:31,568
I try to work my way through it.
568
01:23:31,968 --> 01:23:35,088
It's better than doing nothing
569
01:23:35,327 --> 01:23:37,407
when I'm powerless.
570
01:26:37,487 --> 01:26:39,168
That's the basis for green.
571
01:26:41,208 --> 01:26:43,848
The plan is: four green ones.
572
01:26:45,528 --> 01:26:48,407
That's why there's so much red.
573
01:26:57,648 --> 01:26:59,008
Don't look.
574
01:26:59,487 --> 01:27:01,088
Don't look for a day.
575
01:27:07,288 --> 01:27:08,608
From above.
576
01:27:08,848 --> 01:27:11,288
I just need a reminder.
577
01:27:18,327 --> 01:27:19,648
Wonderful.
578
01:29:16,928 --> 01:29:19,487
- Tell us about it.
- Well.
579
01:29:20,407 --> 01:29:21,928
You arrived...
580
01:29:24,448 --> 01:29:27,368
Full of fear, sore muscles and
581
01:29:27,608 --> 01:29:28,808
paracetamol.
582
01:29:29,048 --> 01:29:30,528
Horrible!
583
01:29:38,208 --> 01:29:39,888
It makes a big difference
584
01:29:40,128 --> 01:29:43,487
when the paintings are hanging there
like a performance.
585
01:29:43,768 --> 01:29:48,568
Like an opera you've written on paper,
on the studio wall, in the dirt...
586
01:29:48,888 --> 01:29:51,448
Then suddenly it's there.
587
01:29:52,168 --> 01:29:53,848
It was really good.
588
01:29:54,768 --> 01:29:57,248
Americans are so enthusiastic.
589
01:29:57,968 --> 01:29:59,928
They come from all over
590
01:30:00,848 --> 01:30:02,688
and they're not shy
591
01:30:03,128 --> 01:30:05,888
to say what they think.
592
01:30:07,728 --> 01:30:10,088
At my first exhibition in New York,
593
01:30:10,368 --> 01:30:12,808
at least 30 years ago...
594
01:30:13,288 --> 01:30:15,928
at Onnasch, 1972...
595
01:30:16,368 --> 01:30:18,248
35 years ago.
596
01:30:18,728 --> 01:30:24,528
I was showing photorealistic
and grey monochrome paintings.
597
01:30:25,048 --> 01:30:27,048
Two young artists came over and said…
598
01:30:35,848 --> 01:30:39,407
I was baffled.
Because we're always so reserved.
599
01:30:39,928 --> 01:30:41,568
"Interesting exhibition"
600
01:30:41,808 --> 01:30:43,808
is the most we say.
601
01:30:44,048 --> 01:30:45,888
"Oh, not so bad".
602
01:34:51,327 --> 01:34:53,728
That was secretly painted in.
603
01:34:58,808 --> 01:35:00,288
Did you see it?
604
01:35:00,528 --> 01:35:03,407
The yellow? No idea how it got there.
605
01:35:11,327 --> 01:35:13,248
A panning shot for Madam.
606
01:35:16,688 --> 01:35:18,448
Man, is this fun.
40841
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