Diogenes

Diogenes, painted in 1882 and now at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, depicts the Greek Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope (c. 404–323 BCE), who rejected material wealth and social convention to live in a barrel, famously carrying a lamp in daylight in his search for an honest man. The subject allowed Waterhouse to combine his interest in classical antiquity with a philosophical subject of continuing relevance: Diogenes's critique of social hypocrisy, his championship of natural simplicity, and his confrontations with Alexander the Great made him an attractive figure for Victorian painters interested in classical philosophy as social commentary. The Art Gallery of New South Wales acquired the work early, reflecting the institution's commitment to collecting significant Victorian narrative paintings.

The composition places Diogenes in his Athenian environment — the market square or street — surrounded by figures who react to or ignore his unconventional presence. The philosopher himself is rendered with careful attention to the iconographic specifics of his legend: the lamp, the minimal clothing, the barrel. Warm Mediterranean light provides the characteristic Greek setting.