The Richter Scale...

Vivid and gestural abstract paintings sit amongst mesmerising landscapes, sculptural planes of glass are neighbours to bold colour charts, and photorealist portraits are found alongside grey swirls of paint. Sounds like a group exhibition right? Wrong. This is the varied work of one of the world's greatest contemporary artists... Gerhard Richter.

In 'Mustang Squadron', Richter depicts fighter planes against a sky of emerald green. Initially the painting seems photorealist, and indeed this is a room filled with his 'photopaintings', but on closer inspection the use of paint becomes clear. The planes are gently blurred and out of focus, a technique synonymous with Richter, giving them a sense of motion. Subtle splatters of green and red-orange paint dance between the plane's shadows, injecting the sky with speckles of their coloured steps. Yet the scene is harshly interrupted by a stark edge of white that occupies the bottom length of the piece; hinting at the origin of this painting, acting as a clue.

'Mustang Squadron', 1964

And this is what I love about Richter, his inclusion of subtle visual hooks that exist within his pieces, that give us an insight as to what truly intrigues him, what I believe to be the act of painting itself. For example, the thick and haphazard brushmarks that occupy the bottom corner of 'Woman with Child'. Such brushmarks are simply alien against the gentle sweeping marks that create the rest of the image. Yet I think they exist as a reminder and a statement, that this is a painting and not a photograph, and that painting is still very much alive!

'Woman with Child', 1965

I became engrossed by 'Forest Wald 3', one of the many abstracts on show. An overwhelming maroon painting, with 'white' and 'blue' making brief, hasty appearances, before submerging again beneath the crimson lake. Mystery defines this painting. Hidden beneath its deep red veil, lives another painting, a landscape painting. Almost Doig-like and reminiscent of a fluorescent woodland scene. The painting breathes, it is alive as it flirts cheekily with the viewer, exposing just the right amount of flesh, leaving the viewer wanting more. Richter hints at the existence of the original painting much like the flash of a lady's ankle from a bygone era, before tearing away at the top later of paint, allowing abstract shapes of the original painting to be brutally exposed and naked. In places it's almost as though the painting is under attack, with scratched areas of paint much like the harsh keying of a car, only instead of unsightly metal being exposed, a beautiful surprise of vibrant blues and fiery reds and oranges jump to the surface- finally set free.

'Forest Wald 3', 1990

Gerhard Richter: Panorama, is on at the Tate Modern until 12th January 2012.

To view the author's website: www.andreatyrimos.com

All roads lead to Rome...

From the mouthwatering vibrancy of home-made gelato, to the multicoloured swirls of fresh pasta; where politically charged Italian graffiti clashes with Michaelangelo's 16th Century chapel ceiling. Whether you're an art enthusiast or not, you cannot help but appreciate the art that saturates Rome.

I became instantly immersed in the Renaissance and Baroque art, but also in the contemporary pieces that many of Rome's historical walls have been branded with. The phenomenal architecture of the Colosseum and the stunning beauty and aura of Rome's Catholic churches sit amongst fashionable boutiques and trendy cafes. Display windows by the Spanish Steps masterfully marry fashion couture with forgotten paintbrushes and easels dressed in splatters of oil paint.

As Massimo, the hotel owner, had stated on the very first day: "you not need to pay a lot of the money in Rome, in Rome everywhere you go, every street you go...is a museum", over the next few days Massimo's words revealed themselves to be very true!