Kanarische Landschaften II - c

Where Kanarische Landschaften I presents the Canary Islands landscape in warm, saturated colour, Series II works in monochrome throughout. The shift is more than technical: stripping the volcanic terrain of its amber and ochre tones removes the atmospheric warmth that gives Series I its specific character, replacing it with something more severe and formally concentrated. The tonal range becomes the subject; cloud cover and geological mass take on a different kind of weight.

In Kanarische Landschaften II – c, that weight is at its most intense. The composition is dominated by mountain forms – dark rocky peaks rising into dense cloud, sky and landmass merging in the deep grey of the upper register. Pale light catches some of the upper rock faces, suggesting either snow cover or bleached volcanic stone, while the lower portions of the scene fall into deeper shadow. The photograph carries a sense of considerable atmospheric pressure – sky and land pressing towards each other, with very little middle ground to stabilise the composition.

Produced in 1971 in an edition of 50 – smaller than Series I's 100 impressions – these monochrome works are among the more scarce of Richter's early photographic prints. The presentation – a small photograph centrally mounted on a large cream-white sheet with a pencil border – keeps the formal arrangement consistent, letting the image carry the weight.