The first comment here (“Get away from me, kid; you bother me”) is just about dead on. According to the ancient story, which is probably apocryphal, the young up-and-comer Alexander came to yhe older philosopher Diogenes and asked him what, if anything, he wanted. Diogenes, sunbathing, replied, “Just get out of my light,” or words to that effect. Alexander was so impressed with Diogenes’ disdain for power and greatness that he temarked to his entourage, “If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes.”
The story has been retold and used in the arts and culture of the Western world many, many times. A good summary can be found at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_and_Alexander.
As for the artist, he was a thoroughly academic painter who had a hard time being accepted by the Academy. He did make it, on his second try. Later on, he introduced the idea that history painting could do more than present images of battles by doing a painting of Moliere reading Tartuffe to the salon of Ninon de Lenclos. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas-André_Monsiau for more.
As is usual for painters of this era, for some reason the people in their paintings seem to have great difficulty in keeping their clothes on. You would think an eminent philosopher could keep his robe from falling down; oh, well….
The first comment here (“Get away from me, kid; you bother me”) is just about dead on. According to the ancient story, which is probably apocryphal, the young up-and-comer Alexander came to yhe older philosopher Diogenes and asked him what, if anything, he wanted. Diogenes, sunbathing, replied, “Just get out of my light,” or words to that effect. Alexander was so impressed with Diogenes’ disdain for power and greatness that he temarked to his entourage, “If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes.”
The story has been retold and used in the arts and culture of the Western world many, many times. A good summary can be found at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_and_Alexander.
As for the artist, he was a thoroughly academic painter who had a hard time being accepted by the Academy. He did make it, on his second try. Later on, he introduced the idea that history painting could do more than present images of battles by doing a painting of Moliere reading Tartuffe to the salon of Ninon de Lenclos. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas-André_Monsiau for more.
As is usual for painters of this era, for some reason the people in their paintings seem to have great difficulty in keeping their clothes on. You would think an eminent philosopher could keep his robe from falling down; oh, well….
Thus endeth the lesson.