Matthias Weischer: Malerei

The young Leipzig painter Matthias Weischer, born in 1973, depicts suburban interiors that can appear at once pleasantly furnished and ominously vacated. Abstract patterns in wallpaper or carpet suggest households that have been lovingly attended to, but Weischer invests this decor with an oddly noisy insistence, so that its sheer "effect" invades any space a human presence might occupy. Often an entire ceiling or a part of a wall is omitted, so that Weischer's homes quickly come to seem absurdly staged, like sets that are wholly indifferent to habitation. Subtle perspectival collisions and a frequently clinical treatment of light compound these atmospheres of banal anxiety, and Weischer's impasto paint application further intensifies the claustrophobic pressure--even while imparting his evident enjoyment in detailing ornamental effect. The artist's conceptual preoccupations are consistent, but the emotional nuances of his paintings vary greatly. With over 200 color plates, this is an impressive catalogue raisonne for one of the Leipzig School's most promising stars.