The visceral surface of Abstraktes Bild, 753-7, emerging through layers of dragged paint in varying hues of indigo, jade and slate gray, contributes to the work’s distinct palimpsest-like quality. Depth is both insinuated and eradicated as the vibrant surface of the picture plane displays the artist’s energetic movements. However, one can be deceived by its seemingly impulsive appearance as Richter himself commented: ‘the whole thing looks very spontaneous. But in between [the layers] there are usually long intervals of time, and those destroy a mood. It is a highly planned kind of spontaneity'. (Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Gerhard Richter, Gerhard Richter: The Daily Practice of Painting. Writings and Interviews 1962-1993, Cambridge MA: MIT Press, London/UK Anthony d'Offay, 1995, p. 112)

Thus, in Abstraktes Bild, 753-7 Richter highlights one of the central paradoxes that lies at the core of his abstract experimentation; the marriage between an Abstract Expressionistic spontaneity and a planned rhythmical structure. The resulting array of colour, texture and movement creates an arresting visual display that is so typical of the artist’s later endeavours.