Alexander and Diogenes
CRAYER, Gaspard de (b. 1584, Antwerpen, d. 1669, Ghent)
Alexander and Diogenes (196x278cm; 715x1008pix) _ The meeting between
the classical ruler Alexander the Great and the philosopher Diogenes had
been illustrated in the 15th and 16th centuries but was also a popular
subject in Italian and Netherlands Baroque painting. Diogenes replied
to Alexander, the conqueror of the world, when he asked him if he wanted
anything: "Stand a little less between me and the sun." The contrast between
the youthful and beautiful hero and the beggarly old man whose life exemplified
asceticism is exploited in the composition and use of colors. The message
of the painting is the meaninglessness of earthly power when confronted
with ethical principles. The Antwerp artist de Crayer later became court
painter to the archduke in Brussels. This work, reflecting his dealing
with forms and themes in the work of Rubens, is one of his best.