Uncle Rudy

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: Lidice Gallery, Lidice (Czech Republic).

Interest in the art of photography is a hallmark of Gerhard Richter’s paintings. Many of his paintings are enlarged and stylized copies of real photographs that the artist made himself or found in a family album or those his friends made. This work is autobiographical, since both Richter’s uncles died during the war, and the artist’s father managed to survive. On the canvas, Uncle Rudy in uniform is depicted vaguely and blurry, as if he was photographed through a fogged lens. Knowing the fate of this young man, we can say that he looks like a ghost, a silent victim of the terrible war.