Vladimir Weisberg

Painter, graphic artist, teacher. Born in the family of Grigory Weisberg in Moscow (1924). Seriously wounded in the Second World War and could only attend the Vasily Surikov Institute of Art as an occasional student. Studied under Sergei Ivashev-Musatov at the fine arts studio of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (1943–48). Attended the studios of Ilya Mashkov and Alexander Osmyorkin. Taught painting at the studio for raising qualifications of the Union of Architects (1959–84). Joined the Union of Artists (1961). Developed the theory of “white on white” (1960). Painted portraits and still-lifes at the start of his career, which coincided with the Khrushchev Thaw. Then reduced his repertoire of objects to a set of geometric figures (cones, cubes, spheres and pyramids). Defined his later style as “white on white.” Addressed the theory of fine art and described his own system of colour perception in “Classification of the Main Types of Artistic Perception,” published in Symposium on the Structural Study of Sign Systems in Moscow (1962). Died in Moscow (1985). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1956).