After a Year with a Master
Matthias Weischer Talks About His Year as a Rolex Protégé
What was your most important artistic achievement before you began participating in this programme?
It’s hard to know what yardstick to use. The easiest thing to point to would be a particular exhibition, but the psychological and artistic developments that lead up to the public display of your work are at least as important. Sometimes a breakthrough you have in the studio coincides with a particular show. That happened for me when I had a year-long scholarship in Essen and then showed my work at the Kunsthaus [museum] there. That work was the foundation for a lot of what I am doing today.
What was the best part of being a Rolex protégé?
Of course, the opportunity to meet David Hockney, which I would never have had otherwise, and to get to know him over an extended period. He’s a very self-protective person, but he gave me unrestricted access. That is and will be very important to me.
Is there one incident or remark that sums up or typifies your relationship with your mentor?
I’ve often heard him say: “Be yourself.”
What was the single most important lesson or piece of advice your mentor gave you?
He said many important things that have branded themselves into my memory – particularly about the responsibilities of an artist, about what really matters. This is a time when young artists are in great demand. But David quotes a Chinese saying: “Painting is old man’s work.” That gave me the feeling that I have a lot of time – time to develop, time to grow.
How do you think your work is similar to or different from your mentor’s? Was that a stimulus or a barrier to your relationship?
We didn’t talk much about our own work. We really didn’t have to. We seem to share an understanding of what our work is about. We didn’t have to debate what’s involved in depicting the world. Of course there are differences, but there are no barriers.
Did you learn from your mentor any lessons beyond the practice of your art?
It was very interesting for me to see how he structures his time. He knows how to live in such a way that he can get his work done and also do the other things outside the studio that feed his art.
Has your approach to art changed or developed during the mentoring experience?
Yes – I observed several things that I’m taking away with me. David is a wonderful draughtsman. He draws all the time. I want to get into that habit. And I’m very eager now to work on portraiture – to get friends and models into my studio. It’s all about seeing, examining. I’m realising how important that is. I’m also realising that there’s a lot of art I want and need to see: exhibitions in Belgium and Netherlands, for instance. Getting out of the studio and looking at other art: that’s something David does, and it’s really important.
Now that the mentoring year has ended, which direction will your artistic career take?
As an artist, what you need is to keep gathering new impressions and meeting new people: those are the things that give you a new stimulus and get you moving in new directions. That’s what I hope will continue, and I hope that David and I will continue to meet and share exciting impressions.