This publication is the first to focus solely on the abstract strategies and processes contained in Gerhard Richter's body of work. In the early 1960s, the artist began to call painting into question, an exploration that continues to occupy him to this day. In the 1970s, he responded to the rejection of painting by creating a series of monochrome works in gray. Moreover, he viewed the color gray as a means of addressing political themes without depicting them in an idealized manner. In his Inpainting series of the 1970s, Richter made brushstrokes and the application of paint his subject. In other works, he photographed small details from his palette and transferred them onto large canvases in a photorealistic manner. In his color charts, he subjected painting to an objective process by leaving the arrangement of the colors to chance. Since 1976, Richter has created a series of abstract works by applying paint with a brush, scraper, and palette knife, alternating between conscious decision-making and random processes. "Gerhard Richter has explored the possibilities of painting since the 1960s, and abstraction is one of his key themes. This publication is the first to focus on this central aspect of Richter's work. It contextualizes the artistic development and intellectual continuity of one of the most significant artists of our time. Over five decades, Richter has created diverse groups of works that are unified by recurring elements. By deliberately incorporating chance, he minimizes the artist's conscious control of the painting process. Richter emphasizes a grid structure over spontaneous creativity and draws a squeegee across entire canvasses. He eschews subjectivity and references outside of art. These abstract works function on their own terms."--Back cover.