The virtuosity of the polo player: a bright masterpiece of a late Impressionist.

(1884 Neustadt a. d. Hardt - 1957 Bad Dürkheim) Polo player virtuoso painted with a fast-paced style, partially executed in a pastose manner, a furiously thrown work of the late Impressionist, probably around 1950-1955. Works that thematize hunting and equestrian sports, such as gallop and trotting races as well as polo games and carriage races, have already occupied a significant space in Dill's oeuvre since the 1920s. In these, he was able to bring his mastery of depicting dynamic, fast movements to expression. Dill often attended horse races and polo games, among others in Munich and Iffezheim near Baden-Baden, which he captured with great liveliness and a captivating eye for the horses, riders, and the glamorous flair. From 1908 to 1914, he studied at the Munich Academy and was a master student of Heinrich von Zügel. Already in 1917, Dill was represented with a large collection of paintings and drawings in the Glass Palace. From 1922 to 1930, he was a member of the Munich Secession. In 1924, he was awarded the title of professor, and in 1949, he was appointed an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1930, the artist moved from Munich to Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and in 1941, he moved to Bad Dürkheim. Alongside Max Slevogt, Otto Dill is considered one of the most important artists of classical modernism from the Palatinate. Oil on hardboard. Signed. 50 cm x 59.5 cm. Framed. Provenance: German private collection, Rhineland-Palatinate.