Claude Weisbuch

Le Chef d'Orchestre

c.1980

Claude Weisbuch was born in Thionville, France in 1927 and was a pupil at L' École des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, France. As a painter, engraver, and exceptional lithographer, Claude Weisbuch has painted active motifs, such as musicians, horses, and characters. Dominating in his work, by the relief and the velvety line which characterizes drypoint, his etchings are the strongest representations of his figures, intensely lively after the 1960s. Using dark tones which express his sharp sense, Claude Weisbuch ceaselessly captures life's dynamics, as the pictorial, musical and literary expressions that are essentially human. Whether it is the impassioned violinist, the mercurial actor, or the sitter shrouded with silent intensity, they have all been rendered with Weisbuch's love for drama. The brushstrokes are sweeping and bold while the paint is fluid. His pictures, full of movement, give one the impression of time-lapsed motion and display an expression of passionate humanity tinged with a unique energy. Weisbuch has been quoted as saying “I like the sketch, the uncompleted, the painting filled with mystery,”. "Some important things to look for in evaluating an artist for such a position of honour are: an inventiveness of style, a prolific output, and a consistency of quality--Claude Weisbuch has all three. His style is unique with a color range that is rich and warm in tone, certainly equal to that of Rembrandt. The fluidity of line and creation of motion is even more vigorous than in the work of Daumier or Toulouse Lautrec. His creativeness in composition is awesome and seems to have infinite possibilities of variation and vision." - David Barnett