Diogenes  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
Revision as of 15:38, 13 July 2008
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)

← Previous diff
Revision as of 20:59, 27 March 2011
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)

Next diff →
Line 3: Line 3:
Diogenes of Sinope is said to have been a disciple of [[Antisthenes]], who (according to [[Plato]]'s ''[[Phaedo]]'') was present at the death of [[Socrates]]. Diogenes, a beggar who made his home in the streets of [[Athens]], made a virtue of extreme poverty. He taught contempt for human achievements and a return to animalism. His was a relentless campaign to debunk social values and institutions. Diogenes of Sinope is said to have been a disciple of [[Antisthenes]], who (according to [[Plato]]'s ''[[Phaedo]]'') was present at the death of [[Socrates]]. Diogenes, a beggar who made his home in the streets of [[Athens]], made a virtue of extreme poverty. He taught contempt for human achievements and a return to animalism. His was a relentless campaign to debunk social values and institutions.
 +
 +==Diogenes Syndrome==
 +
 +Diogenes' name has been applied to a behavioural disorder characterised by involuntary self-neglect and hoarding. The disorder afflicts the elderly and has no relation to Diogenes' deliberate Herculean rejection of material comfort.
 +
 +==Depictions==
 +
 +<!-- This section should only contain depictions of Diogenes of Sinope in art and literature, or characters closely based on him. It should not contain people who are vaguely like him, or people who happen to be called Diogenes. -->
 +
 +=== Art ===
 +Both in ancient and in modern times, Diogenes' personality has appealed strongly to sculptors and to painters. Ancient busts exist in the museums of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]], the [[Louvre]], and the [[Capitoline Museums|Capitol]]. The interview between Diogenes and Alexander is represented in an ancient marble bas-relief found in the [[Villa Albani]].
 +
 +Among artists who have painted the famous encounter of Diogenes with Alexander there are works by [[Caspar de Crayer|de Crayer]], [[Cornelis de Vos|de Vos]], [[Gioacchino Assereto|Assereto]], [[Giovan Battista Langetti|Langetti]], [[Pierre Paul Sevin|Sevin]], [[Sebastiano Ricci]], [[Gaetano Gandolfi|Gandolfi]], [[Thomas Christian Wink|Wink]], [[Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard|Abildgaard]], [[Nicolas-André Monsiau|Monsiau]], [[John Martin (painter)|Martin]], and [[Honoré Daumier|Daumier]]. The famous story of Diogenes searching for an "honest man" has been depicted by [[Jacob Jordaens|Jordaens]], [[Caesar van Everdingen|van Everdingen]], [[Adriaen van der Werff|van der Werff]], [[Giovanni Paolo Pannini|Pannini]], and [[Lovis Corinth|Corinth]]. Others who have painted him with his famous lantern include [[Jusepe de Ribera|de Ribera]], [[Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione|Castiglione]], [[Giuseppe Antonio Petrini|Petrini]], [[Jean-Léon Gérôme|Gérôme]], [[Jules Bastien-Lepage|Bastien-Lepage]], and [[John William Waterhouse|Waterhouse]]. The scene in which Diogenes discards his cup has been painted by [[Nicolas Poussin|Poussin]], [[Salvator Rosa|Rosa]], and [[John Martin (painter)|Martin]]; and the story of Diogenes begging from a statue has been depicted by [[Jean-Bernard Restout|Restout]]. In [[Raphael]]'s fresco ''[[The School of Athens]]'', a lone reclining figure in the foreground represents Diogenes.
 +
 +Diogenes has also been the subject of sculptures, with famous [[bas-relief]] images by [[Pierre Paul Puget|Puget]] and [[Augustin Pajou|Pajou]].
 +
 +=== Literature ===
 +Diogenes is referred to in [[Anton Chekhov]]'s story ''Ward No. 6''; [[William Blake]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell]]''; [[François Rabelais]]' ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]''; [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s poem ''Genialisch Treiben''; as well as in the first sentence of [[Søren Kierkegaard]]'s novelistic treatise ''[[Repetition (Kierkegaard)|Repetition]]''. In [[Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes]]' short story ''The Man of Glass'' (''[[El licenciado Vidriera]]''), part of the ''[[Novelas Ejemplares]]'' collection, the (anti-)hero unaccountably begins to channel Diogenes in a string of tart ''[[chreia]]i'' once he becomes convinced that he is made of glass. Diogenes gives his own life and opinions in [[Christoph Martin Wieland]]'s novel ''Socrates Mainomenos'' (1770; English translation ''Socrates Out of His Senses'', 1771). Diogenes is the primary model for the philosopher Didactylos in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Small Gods]]''. He is mimicked by a beggar-spy in [[Jacqueline Carey]]'s ''[[Kushiel's Scion]]'' and paid tribute to with a costume in a party by the main character in its sequel, ''[[Kushiel's Justice]]''. The character Lucy Snowe in [[Charlotte Bronte]]'s novel ''[[Villette]]'' is given the nickname Diogenes. Diogenes also features in Part Four of [[Elizabeth Smart (author)|Elizabeth Smart]]'s ''[[By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept]]''. He is a figure in [[Seamus Heaney]]'s ''[[The Haw Lantern]]''. In [[Christopher Moore]]'s ''[[Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal]]'', one of [[Jesus]]' [[apostles]] is a devotee of Diogenes, complete with his own pack of dogs which he refers to as his own disciples. His story opens the first chapter of Dolly Freed's 1978 book ''[[Possum Living]]''.
 +
 +The dog that [[Paul Dombey]] befriends in [[Charles Dickens]]' [[Dombey and Son]] is called Diogenes.
 +Alexander's meeting with Diogenes is portrayed in [[Valerio Manfredi]]'s ''[[Alexander: The Ends of the Earth]]''. <
 +
 +The philosopher's name was adopted by the fictional [[The Diogenes Club|Diogenes Club]], an organization that [[Sherlock Holmes]]' brother [[Mycroft Holmes]] belongs to in the story ''[[The Greek Interpreter]]'' by [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]. It is called such as its members are educated, yet untalkative and have a dislike of socialising, much like the philosopher himself. The group is the focus of a number of Holmes [[pastiche]]s by [[Kim Newman]].
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

Revision as of 20:59, 27 March 2011

Related e

Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Shop


Featured:

Diogenes "the Cynic", Greek philosopher, was born in Sinope (modern day Sinop, Turkey) about 412 BC (according to other sources 399 BC), and died in 323 BC at Corinth. Details of his life come in the form of anecdotes ("chreia") from Diogenes Laërtius, in his book The Life as a dog man.

Diogenes of Sinope is said to have been a disciple of Antisthenes, who (according to Plato's Phaedo) was present at the death of Socrates. Diogenes, a beggar who made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue of extreme poverty. He taught contempt for human achievements and a return to animalism. His was a relentless campaign to debunk social values and institutions.

Contents

Diogenes Syndrome

Diogenes' name has been applied to a behavioural disorder characterised by involuntary self-neglect and hoarding. The disorder afflicts the elderly and has no relation to Diogenes' deliberate Herculean rejection of material comfort.

Depictions

Art

Both in ancient and in modern times, Diogenes' personality has appealed strongly to sculptors and to painters. Ancient busts exist in the museums of the Vatican, the Louvre, and the Capitol. The interview between Diogenes and Alexander is represented in an ancient marble bas-relief found in the Villa Albani.

Among artists who have painted the famous encounter of Diogenes with Alexander there are works by de Crayer, de Vos, Assereto, Langetti, Sevin, Sebastiano Ricci, Gandolfi, Wink, Abildgaard, Monsiau, Martin, and Daumier. The famous story of Diogenes searching for an "honest man" has been depicted by Jordaens, van Everdingen, van der Werff, Pannini, and Corinth. Others who have painted him with his famous lantern include de Ribera, Castiglione, Petrini, Gérôme, Bastien-Lepage, and Waterhouse. The scene in which Diogenes discards his cup has been painted by Poussin, Rosa, and Martin; and the story of Diogenes begging from a statue has been depicted by Restout. In Raphael's fresco The School of Athens, a lone reclining figure in the foreground represents Diogenes.

Diogenes has also been the subject of sculptures, with famous bas-relief images by Puget and Pajou.

Literature

Diogenes is referred to in Anton Chekhov's story Ward No. 6; William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; François Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel; Goethe's poem Genialisch Treiben; as well as in the first sentence of Søren Kierkegaard's novelistic treatise Repetition. In Cervantes' short story The Man of Glass (El licenciado Vidriera), part of the Novelas Ejemplares collection, the (anti-)hero unaccountably begins to channel Diogenes in a string of tart chreiai once he becomes convinced that he is made of glass. Diogenes gives his own life and opinions in Christoph Martin Wieland's novel Socrates Mainomenos (1770; English translation Socrates Out of His Senses, 1771). Diogenes is the primary model for the philosopher Didactylos in Terry Pratchett's Small Gods. He is mimicked by a beggar-spy in Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Scion and paid tribute to with a costume in a party by the main character in its sequel, Kushiel's Justice. The character Lucy Snowe in Charlotte Bronte's novel Villette is given the nickname Diogenes. Diogenes also features in Part Four of Elizabeth Smart's By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept. He is a figure in Seamus Heaney's The Haw Lantern. In Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, one of Jesus' apostles is a devotee of Diogenes, complete with his own pack of dogs which he refers to as his own disciples. His story opens the first chapter of Dolly Freed's 1978 book Possum Living.

The dog that Paul Dombey befriends in Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son is called Diogenes. Alexander's meeting with Diogenes is portrayed in Valerio Manfredi's Alexander: The Ends of the Earth. <

The philosopher's name was adopted by the fictional Diogenes Club, an organization that Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes belongs to in the story The Greek Interpreter by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is called such as its members are educated, yet untalkative and have a dislike of socialising, much like the philosopher himself. The group is the focus of a number of Holmes pastiches by Kim Newman.




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Diogenes of Sinope" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

Personal tools