UnMasterclass 30

Gerhard Richter is perhaps the living painter UnMasterclass holds in the most esteem (the question of who might hold this honour has been raised this week with the death of Lucien Freud, closely following Cy Twombly's own death just a few weeks ago). The way Richter has continually questioned what painting can and should be, from a painterly and conceptual basis is to be both applauded and strived for; a painter seen well beyond technique. We came across this quote recently in UnMasterclass HQ from the great man himself, “One must really be engaged in order to be a painter. Once obsessed by it, one eventually gets to the point where one thinks that humanity could be changed by painting. But when that passion deserts you, there is nothing else left to do. Then it is better to stop altogether. Because basically painting is idiocy.” Here Richter succinctly encapsulates a lot of what UnMasterclass is trying to raise; a) Be obsessed by painting if you want to be a painter (if you are really obsessed by it, then seeing reproductions of paintings is not enough, you must see and learn from the real thing). b) If you do not feel this passion and drive for painting, or if it leaves you then stop painting, one can always tell a bored painter through their paintings. c) Painting is idiocy; well of course it is, but of the most perfect variety of idiocy. This week pop along to a gallery and ask yourself whether the painting you see before you is idiotic, is the person who painted it idiotic and if you cannot find your self answering yes to this then pop along to this weeks UnMasterclass which is of course idiocy of the highest order. http://vimeo.com/26776530