Diogenes by John William Waterhouse Poster

Diogenes by John William Waterhouse, oil on canvas 1882, is an academic history painting of Diogenes of Sinope, founder of the Cynic, later the Stoic, school of ancient Greek philosophy. Diogenes eschewed all worldly wealth and lived in a large jar from the temple of Cybele, shown here. In the foreground is his famous lantern, which he carried in broad daylight, proclaiming that “I am looking for an honest man”, and the onions of his sparse, stoic diet. This early Waterhouse composition is akin to the realism of 19th century history painting than the more painterly, Impressionistic pictures of his later career.