JOACHIM PROBST American, 1913 – 1980 Movements, 1955 Mixed media Watercolor and possibly gouache on paper. Artist signed and dated lower left. Dimensions: 13 x 7.5; frame: 17.11.5 inches $600-800
ARTIST PROFILE: Joachim Probst (1913 – 1980) was a self-taught American painter and a notorious bohemian figure in New York’s Greenwich Village. Best known as a "Christ painter," Probst dedicated much of his career to depicting monumental religious and epic figures—including Christ, King David, and Ahab—using a raw, expressive idiom that stood in stark contrast to the purely non-objective trends of his time. His work typically followed two parallel paths: thick, gestural figurative expressionism and a series of non-objective black ink washes known as the "Night Works." Probst lived a deeply philosophical and often difficult life, famously stating that "Art is the stand against decay" and describing himself as a "misanthrope with a firm hand on delusion." Despite his outsider status, he was highly respected by peers; he was a close friend of Franz Kline, whose own breakthrough style was significantly influenced by Probst’s ink wash experiments.
