
“What I like to drink most is the wine that belongs to others.” “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” The Emperor as Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius.“ The Death of Socrates” by Jacques-Louis David.Diogenes was also noted for having mocked Alexander the Great, both in public and to his face when he visited Corinth in 336.ĭiogenes passed his philosophy of Cynicism to Crates, who taught it to Zeno of Citium, who fashioned it into the school of Stoicism, one of the most enduring schools of Greek philosophy. Diogenes became notorious for his philosophical stunts, such as carrying a lamp during the day, claiming to be looking for an honest man. He begged for a living and often slept in a large ceramic jar in the marketplace. He declared himself a cosmopolitan and a citizen of the world rather than claiming allegiance to just one city.ĭiogenes made a virtue of poverty. He used his simple lifestyle and behavior to criticize the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt, confused society. He had a reputation for sleeping and eating wherever he chose in a non-traditional fashion. He believed that virtue was better revealed in action than in theory. Diogenes was a controversial figure in Athens and Corinth, where he criticized many cultural conventions of the cities.


#Painting of diogenes plus
You may be men in name, but your brutish lives betray you as animals in reality”.Ĭaesar van Everdingen set this classic story about the 2,000-year-old Greek Philosopher in a contemporary Dutch town square with portraits of contemporaries, plus he featured the portraits of the family that commission this painting. “I see not one, for there is no reason in your hearts. When he was told that there are people all around in the crowds, he replied: Diogenes claimed that he was looking for an honest man. “Diogenes looking for an Honest Man” by Caesar van Everdingen depicts the philosopher Diogenes stands in the middle of a crowd, holding up a lantern. “Diogenes looking for an Honest Man” by Caesar van Everdingen Three years after this painting was first exhibited, Jean-Léon Gérôme was appointed a professor of painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. His companions were dogs that also served as emblems of his “Cynic” (Greek: “kynikos,” dog-like) philosophy, which emphasized an austere existence. He is shown lighting the lamp in daylight, a philosophical stunt, for which he became notorious, as he walked the streets claiming to be looking for an honest man. The subject of this portrait must have prompted this depiction of an eccentric outsider, his hair tangled, his beard unkempt, his hands work-worn, dressed in simple apparel, and directing a penetrating gaze at the beholder.Diogenes by Jean-Léon Gérôme depicts the Greek Philosopher Diogenes (404 – 323 BC) seated in the shelter he used during the night. Ribera was interested in studying different types of people, and even his religious paintings seem to be populated with figures taken from the everyday world about him, in the tradition of Caravaggio. The subject was much loved throughout Baroque Europe, although it appears that the Italians preferred to depict the philosopher alone, as with this and another painting by Ribera, while the densely populated scenes were more popular in the Netherlands. According to his own statement, he used it in broad daylight to find a 'genuine person' on a bustling marketplace. The most famous of the Cynics, the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, who died in 323 BC, is provided here with a lamp by way of an attribute.
