Gerhard Richter’s September and the Politics of Ambivalence

  • Mafalda Dâmaso
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Abstract

The 9/11 attacks renewed the pertinence of traditional discussions regarding the representation of terror but also those surrounding issues of mediation. Famously among the multiple aesthetic responses to this event is a painting by the German Gerhard Richter titled September (2005). Seemingly abstract, a close engagement with the painting reveals the depiction of the second plane as it hits the south tower. This essay proposes that the abstraction, the ambiguity of September (to use Robert Storr’s terminology), provides an opportunity for the viewers to consider 9/11 not merely as a terrorist attack, but also as a political act that is framed by a long history of economic and cultural exchanges.

Keywords

Terrorist Attack Close Engagement Archival Practice Media Consumer World Trade Center Attack 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mafalda Dâmaso
    • 1
  1. 1.Goldsmiths, University of LondonLondonEngland

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