Carl von Marr

Carl von Marr began his artistic training in Weimar under Ferdinand Schauß, then continued it in Berlin under Karl Gussow and finally completed his studies in Munich under Gabriel von Max and Wilhelm von Lindenschmit. His oeuvre primarily comprises genre paintings and religious subjects in which - as in the present work - symbolist elements play a central role. The composition depicts the transcendent moment of departure, in which the soul of a deceased person is comforted by a host of angels and guided into the sphere beyond. Another version of almost identical size, titled "Back to God", is in the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend (Louise Zinn Bardes Family Collection).