Do you know who is depicted in Gerhard Richter’s “Lesende (Reader)” (1994)? This is Sabine Moritz-Richter, who was Gerhard Richter’s wife at the time this was made. He painted it from a picture he took of her when they first fell in love. You can sense his affection in the way he softly painted every little detail: like the way the sunlight whites out part of her necklace, or the tiny hairs that curl beneath her ponytail. You could say this is a romantic painting. And yet, Richter observes her from a distance.  He didn’t title the work “Sabine.” He called it “Lesende” or “reader.” Her image captivated him—first and foremost, as a painter. What its meaning may be, he keeps to himself. He once said, “…photographs, private ones and others, keep appearing that fascinate me so much that I want to paint them. And sometimes the real meaning these images have for me only becomes apparent later.” 📍 Plan your visit to see “Lesende (Reader)” and more works by Richter at the link in bio. _ [G...