The painting "Mouth" is an early work by Gerhard Richter depicting the lips of the famous French actress Brigitte Bardot. Richter isolated the lips from a photo, separating them from the rest of the face, creating a work that is both humorous and unsettling. This work reflects the main idea of criticism of mass culture and sexualization in capitalist society and also has elements of surrealism due to the blurred and detached fragment of the face.

Portrait of the Creator

  • Artist

    Gerhard Richter

  • Date of birth and death

    9 February 1932 – living

  • Natinality

    German

  • Style

    Abstract art, photorealism, conceptual art, capitalist realism

  • Significant works

    48 Portraits, 18 October 1977 series, Birkenau series, Cologne Cathedral Window, 4900 Colours

Information about the work

  • Year:

    1963

  • Execution technique:

    oil on canvas

  • Location:

    Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

  • Theme:

    Pop Art, figurative, sexuality, mass media, commercialization, surrealism

Internal Narrative and Creative Framework

  • Inner Narrative

    The painting emphasizes the relationship between pop culture and sexual imagery by isolating a facial fragment that became an iconic symbol. The blurring of the image and the isolation of the lips create distance and unease regarding mass culture and its impact on the perception of beauty.

The key to interpreting the work

Interpretation should analyze the context of pop art and capitalist realism, the influence of media on the perception of sex appeal, as well as Richter's early experimental style related to photography and collage.

See other works by this artist

Mustang Staffel

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

XL 513

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

Stukas

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

Flieger

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

Phantom Interceptors

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

Child on a Horse

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1965
Explore

Mother and Daughter (B.)

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1965
Explore

Women Descending the Staircase

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1965
Explore

Motorboat

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1965
Explore

Color Chart No.139 1

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1966
Explore

Ten Colours

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1966
Explore

Townscape

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1968
Explore

Townscape

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1968
Explore

Townscape

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1968
Explore

Townscape

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1968
Explore

Colour Streaks

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1968
Explore

1024 Colours

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1973
Explore

Clouds

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1982
Explore

Abstract Picture

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1994
Explore

Moritz

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 2000
Explore

Party

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1963
Explore

Jet Fighter

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1963
Explore

Bombers

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1963
Explore

Schärzler

  • Artist: Gerhard Richter
  • Year: 1964
Explore

    Newsletter

    Join our newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news.

    This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.