George and the Dragon / Battle

The motif of the struggle appeared frequently in the work of this sculptor during the 1990s. He was particularly interested in the individual’s internal struggles. The artist believes that we can battle not only external demons but also internal ones, and he embodies this concept through the archetypal struggle between St George and the dragon. We can discern the silhouette of a self-devouring dragon in the sculpture’s generalised forms. This interpretation of the struggle recurs in Kęstutis Musteikis’ (b. 1956) work. The original version of the sculpture was made in wood, and later two bronze replicas were cast. There are also monumental stone versions of the piece: one in the Klaipėda Sculpture Park, and another at Vyžuonos. However, the small version is not merely a scale model of a larger sculpture; it is an independent work that seeks to encapsulate the idea of an individual battling with himself.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025

The motif of the struggle appeared frequently in the work of this sculptor during the 1990s. He was particularly interested in the individual’s internal struggles. The artist believes that we can battle not only external demons but also internal ones, and he embodies this concept through the archetypal struggle between St George and the dragon. We can discern the silhouette of a self-devouring dragon in the sculpture’s generalised forms. This interpretation of the struggle recurs in Kęstutis Musteikis’ (b. 1956) work. The original version of the sculpture was made in wood, and later two bronze replicas were cast. There are also monumental stone versions of the piece: one in the Klaipėda Sculpture Park, and another at Vyžuonos. However, the small version is not merely a scale model of a larger sculpture; it is an independent work that seeks to encapsulate the idea of an individual battling with himself.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025