“Richter's paintings, one might say, are timely only insofar as they are untimely” (Osbourne 110). This quotes perfectly exemplifies the meaning of artist Gerhard Richard work. The Art Gallery of Ontario possess Gerhard Richter’s painting Helga Matura as a gift from the volunteer committee fund in 1986, though the piece was painted twenty years earlier in 1966 (“Helga Matura”). In the AGO’s Philip B. Lind Gallery Helga Matura is on display for the public to see. Gerhard Richter painted many pieces that preserve public memory, as he was “interested in the relevance of painting in an age of mass-media bombardment” (“Helga Matura”). Though the most prominent is his famous Helga Matura, a painting of a 1966 murdered prostitute. In what follows,
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He uses Helga Matura as subject matter as a symbol of the general population. According to Botton, “Helga is not so much the portrait of one woman as a representation of anyone, any stranger, any person you don’t know” (Botton 1). Richter comments here on the way we as humans interact with each other. Botton continues to say “Richter has depicted her slightly out of focus…he makes us feel that we don’t know her. He reminds us of something crucial which we normally forget: the mystery of other people. For all its faults, democratic politics is the brave, hugely important attempt of people who don’t know each other well to try and live in peace together” (Botton 1). Here, Botton challenges his readers to see Helga Matura in a new light, linking the piece to how we think about the general public, and the public memory that ensues. To continue, Richter also uses the way he has used the original tabloid photograph as a symbol. Helga Matura is not the only case he’s done this; this is what he has done for every painting he did of these tragically murdered women. He challenges the public to remember the original newspaper photographs. Haxthausen states, “These works are' based on banal, smiley, utterly conventional photographs of these women, and it was their gruesome end - they were all murder victims - that turned these private pictures into media images… these works capture the …show more content…
Through the historical significance, symbolism and personal style we can see the relationship between Helga Matura and the rest of the tragic events Richter painted. Though his intentions behind painting Helga Matura was likely to speak to current events, Richter does his part in creating a memorial for the victims depicted in his work. Helga Matura and the rest of his work serve as a glimpse into the conditions of the past, and in turn a comment on the conditions of today. The Story behind Helga Matura is a dark one, though it as it ages, it continues to give Matura the preservation she
He uses Helga Matura as subject matter as a symbol of the general population. According to Botton, “Helga is not so much the portrait of one woman as a representation of anyone, any stranger, any person you don’t know” (Botton 1). Richter comments here on the way we as humans interact with each other. Botton continues to say “Richter has depicted her slightly out of focus…he makes us feel that we don’t know her. He reminds us of something crucial which we normally forget: the mystery of other people. For all its faults, democratic politics is the brave, hugely important attempt of people who don’t know each other well to try and live in peace together” (Botton 1). Here, Botton challenges his readers to see Helga Matura in a new light, linking the piece to how we think about the general public, and the public memory that ensues. To continue, Richter also uses the way he has used the original tabloid photograph as a symbol. Helga Matura is not the only case he’s done this; this is what he has done for every painting he did of these tragically murdered women. He challenges the public to remember the original newspaper photographs. Haxthausen states, “These works are' based on banal, smiley, utterly conventional photographs of these women, and it was their gruesome end - they were all murder victims - that turned these private pictures into media images… these works capture the …show more content…
Through the historical significance, symbolism and personal style we can see the relationship between Helga Matura and the rest of the tragic events Richter painted. Though his intentions behind painting Helga Matura was likely to speak to current events, Richter does his part in creating a memorial for the victims depicted in his work. Helga Matura and the rest of his work serve as a glimpse into the conditions of the past, and in turn a comment on the conditions of today. The Story behind Helga Matura is a dark one, though it as it ages, it continues to give Matura the preservation she