Otto Dill

1884 Neustadt/Germany – Bad Dürkheim/Germany 1957

 

 

In cheerful colours Impressionist-oriented Otto Dill has captured a pleasurable ride through the English Garden on canvas. In the left foreground, a carriage with two horses immediately attracts the attention of the beholder. The light fur of the graceful animals perfectly matches the dress of the female passenger. The beauty of the horse and carriage is complemented by the coachman wearing a suit and cylinder. By depicting the back views of two horsemen, who ride into the opposite direction on brown horses, Dill creates a compositional counterpart to this group. The scenery is embedded into the fresh green of the nature surrounding it. It harmonises with the earthy tones of the painting and is completed on the right side by the vivid hustle and bustle outlined under a red-white awning and yellow-white parasols.

In 1908, Otto Dill begins his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, under Professor Heinrich von Zügel and, from 1909, attends his summer courses in Wörth am Rhein on a regular basis. In 1917, one year after his marriage, he establishes a studio in Munich. In the same year, Dill already takes part in a show at the Glass Palace (Glaspalast). In 1922, he participates in several exhibitions of the Munich Secession, and is appointed professor by the State of Bavaria two years later. Subsequently, he goes on trips to North Africa, to Lake Maggiore, Barcelona and Paris. In 1929, Dill visits Africa for the second time before he returns to the Palatinate region for good in 1930. At first, the artist lives and works in Neustadt, but eventually moves to Bad Dürkheim in 1941 where he spends his final creative period. Both the war and his health status prevent him from continuing his travels. In 1943, a whole exhibition of his works, including significant early paintings, is destroyed in an air raid. On 6 July 1957, the lithographer and painter of animals and landscapes dies at the age of 73 in Bad Dürkheim.