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The Circle of Life, 1885

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Oil on canvas
132×132 cm

Artists

  • Hans Canon

    (Vienna 1829–1885 Vienna)

Currently on display at OG4
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
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

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Search in collection

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