10th March 2008
A modern Day old master
A modern day old master, a figurative genius or both? As artist George Weissbort approaches his 80th birthday this question still resonates in an art world, genius is considered in an obvious commericial context, as creating a pile of bricks or a formaldehyde shark.
In stark contradiciton, George has seen his work exhibitied every year at the RA until his way of painting was no longer considered "cutting edge", yet still his works sold at leading galleries in London and across the globe and remain as treasured pieces in many of the finest private art collections in the UK, Europe and the USA; and in the Museum of Modern Art in Tel Aviv.
At 80, what drives a man like George to continue to pursue perfection in every single piece of work he produces, be it a commissioned portrait or a 'nature morte'? The fineness of his work through the development of formal refinement sets him apart in a world awash with 'average artists' and one that to a pitiful extent has lost the ability or desire to admire the work of true genius in selected Old Masters...
