September, by Gerhard Richter, is not a painting to be merely looked at; it is a painting to be endured. In front of it, the viewer finds no clear scene or explicit narrative, but rather a fragmented, blurred, almost faded image, as if memory itself were struggling to hold on to what it has seen. Richter, one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, addresses here one of the most shocking events in recent history: the September 11, 2001 attacks. But he does so in a profoundly different way than expected. There is no direct drama, no spectacle, no visual propaganda. Instead, there is a quiet reflection on the impossibility of representing horror.
The work, created in 2005, shows a blurred image of the Twin Towers at the moment of impact. However, the scene is partially covered by layers of gray and white paint, applied with Richter’s characteristic gesture: dragged, scraped, almost violently worked. This device is not merely aesthetic. It is conceptual. The artist does not try to hide the image, but to problematize it. What does it mean to see something so devastating? What right does art have to represent it? And what happens when images have already been reproduced to exhaustion in the media?
Richter, born in Germany in 1932, lived through the weight of history firsthand. He grew up during the Nazi regime and later experienced the division of Germany. His work has always been shaped by memory, politics, and perception. In September, these elements converge with particular intensity. The painting does not aim to document the event, but to question the relationship between image and truth. It is a painting about memory, but also about forgetting.
One of the most unsettling aspects of this work is its relatively small scale. Unlike the monumental images usually associated with historic events, Richter chooses an intimate format. This forces the viewer to move closer, to face the image head-on, to enter a nearly uncomfortable space of contemplation. There is no safe distance. The experience is personal, direct, almost silent.
The blur technique, so characteristic of Richter, acquires a particular meaning here. In many of his photo-paintings, blur suggests emotional or temporal distance. But in September, that blur seems more like resistance. As if the image refused to be fixed, as if the act of remembering were in itself problematic. This gesture connects with a long tradition in the history of art that questions the representation of suffering, from Goya to Picasso.
A less well-known but deeply revealing detail is that Richter destroyed several earlier versions of this painting before arriving at the final one. This process speaks to the difficulty of the subject, and to the responsibility the artist felt in addressing it. It was not simply a matter of painting, but of finding an ethical way to do so. In this sense, September is also a work about the artistic process, about doubt, correction, and the search for a truth that never appears in a clear way.
From an aesthetic perspective, the work combines elements of abstract and figurative painting, a field in which Richter has moved with mastery for decades. The towers are barely discernible, but they are there, emerging between layers of paint that seem both to conceal and reveal them. This ambiguity is key. The painting offers no answers; it raises questions.
In the context of contemporary art, September occupies a singular place. It is neither a work of direct protest, nor a historical document, nor pure abstraction. It is a visual meditation on representation, memory, and trauma. In a world saturated with images, Richter proposes an image that resists being consumed. And it is in that resistance that its power lies.
For the collector or art lover, owning an oil reproduction of this work is not simply acquiring an image, but bringing into one’s space a profound reflection on our time. The texture, the brush gestures, the overlapping layers, gain a physical presence that digital reproduction cannot convey. Each stroke seems to contain a decision, a doubt, a story.
The original dimensions of September are 52 x 72 cm, a format that reinforces its intimate and contemplative character. It is not a work that dominates the space, but rather invites a closer, more introspective relationship.
Gerhard Richter has said on multiple occasions that he doubts painting’s ability to represent reality. And yet, he keeps painting. In that contradiction lies much of his greatness. September does not resolve that tension; it embodies it. It is a work that does not seek to console or explain, but simply to be there, like a persistent echo of something that cannot be fully understood.
The 5 most representative works by Gerhard Richter
1. Betty (1988)
One of his most iconic works, it shows his daughter Betty turning her face away, avoiding the viewer’s gaze. The almost photographic perfection contrasts with the gesture of refusal, creating a tension between closeness and distance that defines much of his work.
2. Abstraktes Bild (1986)
A masterful example of his abstract work, where layers of color are superimposed and scraped away to create a vibrant and complex surface. Here, painting becomes a battleground between control and chance.
3. Onkel Rudi (1965)
Based on a family photograph, this work shows his uncle in a Nazi uniform. The blurred treatment introduces a critical distance, questioning memory and personal history.
4. Ema (Akt auf einer Treppe) (1966)
Inspired by Duchamp, this painting shows his wife descending a staircase. The figure, diffuse and ethereal, seems suspended between movement and stillness.
5. September (2005)
One of his most restrained and reflective works, where the artist confronts the representation of contemporary trauma with brutal honesty and exceptional sensitivity.
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