The Circle of Life, 1885

Leopold Museum,
Vienna

The Circle of Life
1885

Oil on canvas

132×132 cm

Hans Canon
(Vienna 1829–1885 Vienna)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment

While Hans Makart (1840–1884) was working on the composition The Victory of Light over Darkness for the Kunsthistorisches Museum [Museum of Art History], Hans Canon (1829‒1885) created the work The Circle of Life for the Natural History Museum Vienna situated opposite the art history museum. A description by the artist from April 1883 reveals the depiction’s concept: His aim was delineate the cycle of life, the ascent and decline of human culture linked to the evolution of the natural sciences. The circular movement of the people is observed by a resting sphinx as well as a contemplative figure brooding over its enigma. The finished painting did not arrive at its destination until 1888 following Canon’s untimely death in 1885.

Text Leopold Museum

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Object data

Artist/author

Hans CanonGND

Title

The Circle of Life

Date

1885

Art movement

Historicism

Category

Painting

Material/technique

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

132×132 cm

Signature

Signed and dated lower right: CANON 1885

Credit line

Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 2014

Inventory access

Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994

Selection of Reference works

Wien 1900. Aufbruch in die Moderne, hrsg. von Hans-Peter Wipplinger, Wien 2019 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, ab 15.03.2019).
Die nackte Wahrheit. Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka und andere Skandale, hrsg. von Tobias G. Natter/Max Hollein, München 2005 (Ausst.-Kat. Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, 28.01.2005-24.01.2005; Leopold Museum, Wien, 31.05.2005-22.08.2005).
Franz Josef Drewes: Hans Canon (1829–1885) Werkverzeichnis und Monographie I, Hildesheim 1994.

Catalogue raisonne

Drewes 1994: 217. a-5)

Keywords

human (biological)group portraitallegorylifedeathpregnancy/birthnudecupidsriding: horse/donkey/mulehorsethe (nude) human figurethe (nude) human figure (fem.)

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Auktion: 21.06.1951, Galerie Kende, Wien, 178. Kunstauktion, Los Nr. 394;
Auktion: 18.05.1965, Dorotheum Wien, 568. Kunstauktion, Los Nr. 20 (Abb. Taf. 43);
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (o.D.); (1)
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (seit 1994).

Franz Josef Drewes, Hans Canon (1829-1885). Werkverzeichnis und Monographie, Hildesheim u. a. 1994, S. 333, Nr. 217 a-5)

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