Editing Wilhelm Busch (section)

===Painting===
[[File:Wilhelm Busch Waldlandschaft.jpg|thumb|right|240px|''Waldlandschaft mit Heufuder und Kühen'', 1884–1893]]
Busch felt his painting skills could not compete with those of the [[Dutch Golden Age painting|Dutch masters]].<ref name="K30">Kraus, p. 30</ref> He regarded few of his paintings as finished, often stacking them one on top of the other in damp corners of his studio, where they stuck together. If the pile of paintings became too high, he burnt some in his garden.<ref name="we163">Weissweiler, pp. 163–164</ref> Since only a few remaining paintings are dated, categorizing them is difficult.<ref name="K30" /> His doubts regarding his skills are expressed in his choice of materials. His [[primer (paint)|ground]] was usually chosen carelessly. Sometimes he used uneven cardboard or poorly-prepared [[spruce]]-wood boards.<ref name="we163" /> One exception is a portrait of Johanna Kessler, on a [[canvas]] support measuring {{convert|63|cm|in|0}} by {{convert|53|cm|in|0}}, one of his largest paintings.<ref name="we163" /> Most of his works, even [[Landscape painting|landscapes]], are small.<ref name="we163" /> As Busch used poor grounds and colours, most are heavily darkened and have an almost monochrome effect.

Many pictures depict the countryside at Wiedensahl and Lüthorst. They include [[Pollarding|pollarded]] [[willow]]s, cottages in cornfields, cowherds, autumn landscapes, and meadows with streams.<ref>Weissweiler, p. 139</ref> A particular feature is the use of red jackets, found in about 280 of 1000 Busch paintings and drawings. The muted or bright red coats are worn usually by a small figure, depicted from behind.<ref>Schury, pp. 52–53</ref> The paintings generally represent typical villages. Portraits of the Kesslers, and a series of other portraits depicting Lina Weissenborn in the mid-1870s, are exceptions. A painting of a 10-year-old girl from a Jewish family at Lüthorst portrays her as serious, and having dark, oriental features.<ref>Weissweiler, S. 215 und S. 216</ref>

The influence of Dutch painters is clearly visible in Busch's work. "[[Frans Hals|Hals]] diluted and shortened(...) but still Halsian", wrote [[Paul Klee]] after visiting a Busch memorial exhibition in 1908.<ref>Ueding, p. 369</ref> A strong influence on Busch was [[Adriaen Brouwer]], whose themes were farming and inn life, rustic dances, card players, smokers, drunkards, and rowdies. He dismissed the techniques of [[Impressionism]] with its strong preoccupation with the effect of light, and used new colours, such as [[Aniline Yellow]], and photographs, as an aid. The landscapes from the mid-1880s show the same broad brushstrokes as seen in the paintings of the young [[Franz von Lenbach]].<ref>Weissweiler, p. 310</ref> Busch refused to exhibit work even though he was befriended by many artists of the [[Munich School]], which would have allowed him to do so;<ref>Weissweiler, p. 164</ref> it was not until near the end of his life that he presented his paintings to the public.<ref name="Schury, p. 49"/>