Thaler Gallery in Leipzig recently extended the duration of their two men show featuring works by Matthias and Joachim Weischer. Broncos is presenting the new iPad works by Matthias Weischer, and the oil paintings and pastels on paper by his brother, a photographer, Joachim Weischer.
Located in Spinnerei, a charismatic former industrial complex now an epicenter of the region's vibrant artistic scene, Thaler Gallery has been collaborating with the local artist and beyond for years, producing graphics, editions, books, as well as putting special presentations. And the show that borrows the title from the nickname that two brothers from Elte in Germany were known among their friends, is certainly one of such exhibitions. Introducing a big series of painterly works by a photographer by profession, Joachim, alongside iPad drawings by one of the prominent names from what's often described as the New Leipzig School, Matthias Weischer, it captures the lively comradery and the supportive and motivating ambiance of the area.
Feeling limited in the field of traditional photography, where he was trained, Jochim Weischer was for a long time on a continuous lookout for an adequate way to express himself in a more vivid way. After experimenting with kneading on photos, he eventually resorted to painting and was able to work completely from his imagination, without connections to existing reality. Although not a "real" painter (whatever that term might impose), the artist is feeling at home with the medium that allows him to construct and create strange characters, sceneries, and animals. "They seem to come from the edge of society, outsiders. Somehow they seem to be alive, but mostly not very happy," the artist told Juxtapoz about the origins and the idea behind his comic-like creations that occasionally step into the abstract sphere. "The fat oil paint looks like flesh and skin and the sad eyes are looking back at me as if they were real. I guess, everybody can read the expression of the faces and know a person like this." And it's this thickness that the artist often employs as he's almost sculpting his subjects, whether working on a volume of their body, depicting their hair, the fabrics, or capturing the effect of water in a glass. Inspired by the people around him, especially the ones facing absurd situations, he is also continuously nurturing his interest in art and painting, with a special appreciation for the works by Matisse, Breughel., Condo and Currin, among others. "My brother Matthias is working for over twenty years as a professional painter and he achieved a lot during these two decades. I think there is no need to compare my work with his. They are so different as human beings are, but we feel a high affinity for each other's work and there is always a deep understanding," he told us about the sentiment of exhibiting alongside his brother.
Supporting the idea to show work that is somewhat new to him, while matching the graphic legacy of the gallery, Matthias Weischer used this opportunity to introduce his latest body of iPad drawings. Presented in bespoke framing that compliments his recognizable color palette, and displayed against custom painted walls and installation elements, these ultimately flat impressions are successfully conveying the ambience of his recognizable thick oil paintings. "For me, it's the approach that is different than in the painting. I can really sit in front of my object and in front of the motive and I can really draw from life," the artist told us about what attracts him to explore this new medium. "You can easily move big forms, and you can easily work with a big brush. It's more playful because you're not wasting material. In a way, it's very effective, and it's also very convenient. And then, you can just decide the size afterward." The series of floral and interior pieces in the show are intertwined together as some of the vases and flowers reappear in the spaces depicted or reoccur through the show presentation. Employing the brush effects that are impossible to achieve in real life, the Leipzig-based painter is frequently experimenting with the blur and transparency effect to accentuate the perspective and depth effect in his work. Fully grasping the exceptional vibrancy of the pigment and the sharpness of the printed image, the colors are still used to construct the melancholic atmosphere while different types of brushes successfully depict a variety of surfaces that construct the sense of space and dimension. "I still love to go to the studio, and for me, I think painting is the ultimate thing. But this is an additional technique that I really enjoy, and I can feel that I'm always putting what I do on the iPad in relation to the painting," Matthias Wesicher told us about the way these works might, or are already informing his painterly studio practice. —Sasha Bogojev
Installation photo credit by Uwe Walter, Berlin / Closeup images by Sasha Bogojev