Jean-Léon Gérôme - Diogenes [1860]

Jean-Léon Gérôme - Diogenes [1860]
The Greek philosopher Diogenes (404-323 BC) is seated in his abode, the earthenware tub, in the Metroon, Athens, lighting the lamp in daylight with which he was to search for an honest man. His companions were dogs that also served as emblems of his “Cynic” philosophy, which emphasized an austere existence. Three years after this painting was first exhibited, Gérôme was appointed a professor of painting at the École des Beaux-Arts where he would instruct many students, both French and foreign.
[Oil on canvas, 74.5 x 101 cm]

 “I’m cracking under the weight of my own fears, the world I shoulder on my back being too much for even the mighty Titan Atlas. One day it will take me down with it and things will be at their very darkest, with the chaos coming back anew.”