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Lot Essay
The theatricality of Matthias Weischer's paintings is evident in No. 32 Ohne Titel, where a medley of props is haphazardly put together. Standing in front of the canvas, the viewer confronts an intellectual play with the history of art. Referencing nearly the entirety of his discipline throughout his already extensive oeuvre, Weischer has an unparalleled knowledge and mastery of the art that came before him. He conjures up such an unbelievable assortment of imagery that one cannot but be drawn to the magic of this fantasy world. His compositions have the amazing ability to grab and retain the viewer's attention and guide them through their complex pictorial spaces.
In a very Post-Modern attitude, Weischer has borrowed iconic elements from art history that are instantly recognisable to the trained eye. The first reference is the altar with its folded table cloth. On the one hand, it is reminiscent of Titian's canvases with elaborate and precise embroideries and on the other hand it is a direct response to Dali's surrealist imagery in such landscapes as Nature morte- presque vivante (Still Life-Almost Moving). Here, Dali's seascape is replaced with a mountainous landscape depicted with the atmospheric perspective much favoured by 17th century Dutch painters. The view of the luscious green mountains appears to the viewer through an open wall, blurring the distinction between the inside and the outside in a spatial illusion reminiscent of Rene Magritte's landscapes. One can also feel Magritte's presence in the gigantic cloud lingering in the sky and in the Pascal candle which appears to be holding up the heavens.
Deeply embedded with meaning, Weischer evokes in the present lot a state of mind rather than an actual place. In his carefully composed composition, the viewer feels like he is standing in front of an altar, peacefully gazing at a landscape which holds his gaze seemingly expanding infinitely. But the quietude is invaded by a number of disrupting elements. Although devoid of figures, a strange human presence permeates the present lot, lending the scene an eerie feeling. Wooden sticks and Lego toys are tossed on the floor and spilt paint is dripping down one side of the canvas as if just discarded by a mischievous child. The two posters depicting figures from the past, harlequins reminiscent of those painted by Velazquez, emphasize the room's emptiness. The altar, standing on three legs, seems to be in a fragile equilibrium as is the sky, in which a ghostly snake-like element is floating in the air.
At just thirty-three years of age, Weischer has already broken all the rules of the most traditional of mediums, oil on canvas. He disregards the laws of perspective and the theories of colour association and finds the audacity to piece together contradictory images from worlds far apart. While some may regard this as egotistical insolence, contemporary critics view Weischer's compositions as creative genius. With Matthias Weischer at its helm, painting is back where it belongs at the forefront of artistic production.
In a very Post-Modern attitude, Weischer has borrowed iconic elements from art history that are instantly recognisable to the trained eye. The first reference is the altar with its folded table cloth. On the one hand, it is reminiscent of Titian's canvases with elaborate and precise embroideries and on the other hand it is a direct response to Dali's surrealist imagery in such landscapes as Nature morte- presque vivante (Still Life-Almost Moving). Here, Dali's seascape is replaced with a mountainous landscape depicted with the atmospheric perspective much favoured by 17th century Dutch painters. The view of the luscious green mountains appears to the viewer through an open wall, blurring the distinction between the inside and the outside in a spatial illusion reminiscent of Rene Magritte's landscapes. One can also feel Magritte's presence in the gigantic cloud lingering in the sky and in the Pascal candle which appears to be holding up the heavens.
Deeply embedded with meaning, Weischer evokes in the present lot a state of mind rather than an actual place. In his carefully composed composition, the viewer feels like he is standing in front of an altar, peacefully gazing at a landscape which holds his gaze seemingly expanding infinitely. But the quietude is invaded by a number of disrupting elements. Although devoid of figures, a strange human presence permeates the present lot, lending the scene an eerie feeling. Wooden sticks and Lego toys are tossed on the floor and spilt paint is dripping down one side of the canvas as if just discarded by a mischievous child. The two posters depicting figures from the past, harlequins reminiscent of those painted by Velazquez, emphasize the room's emptiness. The altar, standing on three legs, seems to be in a fragile equilibrium as is the sky, in which a ghostly snake-like element is floating in the air.
At just thirty-three years of age, Weischer has already broken all the rules of the most traditional of mediums, oil on canvas. He disregards the laws of perspective and the theories of colour association and finds the audacity to piece together contradictory images from worlds far apart. While some may regard this as egotistical insolence, contemporary critics view Weischer's compositions as creative genius. With Matthias Weischer at its helm, painting is back where it belongs at the forefront of artistic production.