San Diego Museum of Art - Lion Cannoneer

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Bookmark: https://collection.sdmart.org/objects-1/info/25550

Lion Cannoneer

Otto Dix, German, (December 2, 1891–July 25, 1969)

Creation date: 1914

Other Information

Type: Oil Painting

Medium and Support: Oil on paper mounted on paperboard mounted on plywood

Credit Line: Gift from the Estate of Vance E. Kondon and Liesbeth Giesberger.

Accession Number: 2011.90

Dimensions: 27 1/4 in. x 25 1/4 in. (69.22 cm x 64.14 cm)

Label Copy

Dix served as a machine gunner in the German army in World War I and knew at first hand warâ€™s ability to dehumanize humanity: to turn men into beasts. Nowhere is that idea clearer than in this painting, which shows one of Dixâ€™s fellow artillerymen, the Cannoneer LÃ¶we. Playing on the manâ€™s nameâ€”LÃ¶we means â€œlionâ€ in Germanâ€”Dix has transformed his companion, giving him the fierce feline features of his namesake. The man emerges from a hot orange glow, and both the rough brushstrokes and the unpainted margins of the board are surely meant to give the impression that this was the man as glimpsed in the heat of a battle.
Last Updated: 1/11/2023

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Early 20th Century German Art from the Vance E. Kondon Collection , 1/28/1984 - 3/11/1984

The Human Beast San Diego Museum of Art , 7/21/2012 - 11/11/2012

American: Art of the 20th Century San Diego Museum of Art , 1/18/2014 - 8/26/2014

Art of the 20th Century , 3/28/2015 - 8/16/2015

German Expressionism San Diego Museum of Art , 7/23/2016 - 00/00/00

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Mr. Steven L. Brezzo and Ida Katherine Rigby. Early 20th Century German Art from the Vance E. Kondon Collection The San Diego Museum Art. January 1984
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