Raymond Girke (1930–2002) was a German artist best known for his contributions to postwar abstraction, Minimalism, and monochrome painting. Active primarily from the 1960s onward, Girke developed a distinctive visual language that balanced restraint with painterly intensity. While often associated with minimal and reduced forms, his work is driven by gesture, rhythm, and the physical presence of paint.

This Untitled work from 1975 is a striking example of Girke’s approach. Executed as a lithograph on BFK Rives-Velin wove paper and subsequently reworked with oil paint, the piece transcends the boundaries between printmaking and painting. Broad, expressive brushstrokes activate the surface, animating the otherwise muted grey ground. A subtly radiating color gradation emerges across the composition, revealing Girke’s interest in color as an energetic and spatial force rather than a descriptive element.

Although part of an edition of 40 impressions, this work is considered unique due to the artist’s extensive hand-applied interventions. The sheet is signed, dated, and numbered by Girke (lower right) and retains generous margins, with a deckle edge along the lower border—emphasizing its material presence.

Girke’s work reflects a sustained investigation into repetition, variation, and reduction, while never abandoning the immediacy of the artist’s hand. This piece exemplifies his ability to fuse conceptual clarity with expressive depth, positioning him as a key figure in the evolution of European postwar abstraction.