Gustav Michael Pillig, Fencer
Early 20th century, signed "G. Pillig", bronze dark brown patinated, standing male ...

Gustav Michael Pillig, Fencer
Early 20th century, signed "G. Pillig", bronze dark brown patinated, standing male nude with weapon belt, suspending his sword, on an irregular geometrically shaped plinth, sword loose, otherwise in good condition, h approx. 60 cm. Artist's info: German sculptor (1877 Hattingen to 1956 Melbourne), from 1883 resident in Düsseldorf, learned the trade of stucco plasterer in his father's business, from 1900 studied at the Technical College in Stockholm, 1901/03 at the Academy in Berlin and 1905/07 at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Karl Janssen, from 1905 to 1911 member of the Düsseldorf artists' association Malkasten, in 1909 he exhibited his large bronze swordsman at the great Düsseldorf art exhibition, he met the philosophers Carl Huter and Otto Spengler in Berlin, whose end-time theories strongly influenced him, he fled from a war that was supposedly coming to Germany and therefore resided in Australia from 1913 onwards, his work as a whole is characterised by a rather gloomy world view and his most famous work in Australia, "Simphony of Life", he destroyed himself, as in his opinion it did not receive enough attention, it depicted figuratively the work "The Decline of the Occident" published by Oswald Spengler. Source: artibeau.de.