Diogenes

Diogenes is an 1882 history painting by John William Waterhouse, a British artist associated early on with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. It shows an episode from the life of the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who, troubled by the moral decay around him, lived in a ceramic jar. Set against his plain existence are fashionably dressed young women, and the sharp contrast between the philosopher's cynical disdain and the frivolity of the society surrounding him lies at the heart of the work. At the time Waterhouse was strongly shaped by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, especially by the precision with which he rendered classical architecture. The picture was shown at the Royal Academy exhibition of 1882 at Burlington House in London, and in 1886 it was acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, where it remains today.

Painter

John William Waterhouse

Date

1882

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

2490 × 1774 cm

Museum

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Movement

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

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