Impertinently, Diogenes responded along the lines of, “Yes, stand to the side you are blocking the warmth of the sun.” This is the moment the painting captures. Actually pleased to meet the philosopher, Alexander asked if there was anything he could do for him. The story goes that one day Alexander the Great came across Diogenes. Quarrelsome and annoying, yet extremely clever and imaginative at times, he was known to publicly behave in disgusting ways, unashamedly, as could a dog. Diogenes, reaching the pinnacle of such display, was singularly referred to as a dog, kynos. The word cynic comes from the Greek kynikos, meaning “dog-like,” and it was applied to them due in large part to their behavior. He was included in a group of philosophers known as Cynics. Beside it are a few simple tools representing self-reliance, and potatoes representing his sparse diet. In the painting, the lantern in the lower left depicts the one he would carry in daylight in search of an honest man. He embraced poverty and was highly critical of Greek society and human foibles and folly in general. In reality, at one period during his life Diogenes did reside in a large clay vessel. ![]() ![]() The snarling dog inside the barrel represents Diogenes, the Greek philosopher. ![]() The one in the exhibition at the NSLM originated from Landseer’s studio.Īt first glance, the painting is a gathering of dogs posed around a wooden barrel. Among the paintings on display at the National Sporting Library & Museum in the exhibition Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar is one titled “Alexander and Diogenes.” The original was by Sir Edwin Landseer first shown at the Royal Academy in London in 1848, it now hangs in the Tate Gallery.
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