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.