Horst Weisse

Horst Weisse (born December 3, 1919 in Eppendorf ; † October 21, 1993 in Bautzen ) was a German wood carver , sculptor and poet .

Life

Sitting old couple, Bautzen , Lessingstrasse

Born in 1919, Horst Weisse started his training at the state technical and trade school Grünhainichen in the Erzgebirge after attending elementary school in 1934, which he finished in 1936. Subsequently he worked as a wood carver. In 1940 he entered the military. In 1943 he returned home injured in the war after losing a leg in the war year 1942. His later artistic work was shaped , among other things, by the experiences of the Second World War .

In 1954, after successfully completing his master's degree, he went into business for himself and founded a carving workshop. In 1960 he moved to Bautzen, where he devoted himself to sculpture and sculpture and created the well-known stone sculptures. After years of study, Weiße gave up the carving business in 1975, was accepted as an autodidact in the Association of Fine Artists of the GDR and has been working as a freelancer ever since.

In 1983 he achieved his breakthrough with “Lesenden Alten”, which became one of the most talked about and most lasting works of its time. This happened less because of an avant-garde problem or the reflection of social well-being. Rather, it was "the truth, including the gravity of the time, that brought about the turn to this sculpture." [From "Horst Weisse - plastic, drawings, poetic comments", 1993]

In 1990 the Art Association of Bautzen was founded on his initiative. In 1993 he received the Ernst Rietschel Art Prize for his artistic merits . He died on October 21, 1993 after a long illness.

White was not only a sculptor, but also created numerous drawings and poems, some of which are assigned to some sculptures. A selection of his work can be found in the volume “Horst Weisse - plastic, drawings, poetic comments”.

Works as a sculptor (selection)

• Sitting old couple; 1974 cement
• Old people reading; 1981 marble
• The victims of February 13th; 1983 bronze
• The reader; 1986 cement (location: Leutwitzer Ring 7, Dresden)
• Later wanderer; 1991 plaster of paris for bronze
• Volcano dancers; 1991 plaster of paris for bronze