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PAINTERS
PAINTING is a mode of expression and the forms are numerous. Drawing, composition or abstraction and other aesthetics may serve to manifest the expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner. Paintings can be naturalistic and representational (as in a still life or landscape painting), photographic, abstract, be loaded with narrative content, symbolism, emotion or be political in nature.
A portion of the history of painting in both Eastern and Western art is dominated by spiritual motifs and ideas; examples of this kind of painting range from artwork depicting mythological figures on pottery to Biblical scenes rendered on the interior walls and ceiling of The Sistine Chapel, to scenes from the life of Buddha or other scenes of eastern religious origin.
WHO are the persons, who make these paintings?
MATTHIAS WEISCHER
In 2008 we visited the exhibition of interiors, painted by Matthias Weischer, in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. Matthias Weischer (1973, Elte, Westphalia) came to prominence in the late '90s as a member of the Neue Leipziger Schule. Weischer spent some time at the Villa Massimo in Rome.
Matthias Weischer studied from 1995 to the end of
2003 at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in the Eastern German
city of Leipzig, where he was influenced by Neo Rauch and met artists
like David Schnell. Here some likeminded artists formed the group known
as the Neue Leipziger Schule. Artists regarded as members of this group
are conspicuous chiefly for the theatrical nature and large size of
their canvases.
Weischer's paintings are typically depictions of worn interiors that remind us of times gone by. He composes these inviting interiors like theatre sets, using a variety of objects in an unconventional way. It has an alienating effect on us. If you see these paintings, you will probably become aware of Weischer's fascination with colour, form, composition and structure.
Are these real rooms or do they just exist in the
imagination of Matthias Weischer?
Weischer draws inspiration for these canvases from illustrations in
books of cultural history or interior design magazines of the 1950s and
’60s.
Lounge 2005, Matthias Weischer
Trousers 2005, Matthias Weischer
In 2007, a scholarship enabled Weischer to work for a year at the Villa Massimo in Rome. This has brought about interesting changes in his work. His latest paintings are much smaller and tend to depict almost unfurnished interiors. His palette is now reminiscent of medieval Italian frescos, with colours like pale blue and pink predominating. His compositions have become increasingly free, intuitive and spontaneous. The previous superabundance of objects has been replaced by a single tree trunk, mat or skull. The starting point is no longer magazine photos, but a theatre that Weischer built for himself in his room in order to try out new and ever-changing compositions. In the space of just a couple of years, Weischer’s artistic development has taken an unexpected turn, with the meticulously planned paintings being replaced by more casually organised pictures and the large, complex compositions turning into small, poetic tableaux.
Pipe 2007, Matthias Weischer
