Stadtbild SA (219/1)

From the very beginning of his career, Gerhard Richter has investigated the nature of the images of the era of globalisation that blurs the confines between reality and its reproduction. "Stadtbild SA" (219-1) is part of the "Stadtbilder cycle" (1968-1970) based of aerial views of urban landscapes. The artist, who as a child witnessed the destruction of Dresden during the Second World War, uses aerial photographs that reference the point of view of the bombers as his model. Using heavy brush strokes and tones of grey, Richter delineates an urban fabric in which angular buildings stand out among with the voids left by empty bombsites. The painting exemplifies the situation of German cities during the period of reconstruction.