HERACLITUS & DEMOCRITUSThis history is about two men who actually never met. When the Greek philosopher Democritus was born, Heraclitus, his famous predecessor, was already dead for some fifteen years. Nonetheless, they are usually depicted together around a globe, like an inseparable but complementary Yin & Yang couple, deliberating over the world’s faith and specifically that of mankind. Although Heraclitus, who was deeply convinced of the inevitability of war and the on-going course of human self-destruction, usually is portrayed in deep melancholy or even crying over mankind’s dramatic faith, his companion Democritus just can’t stop laughing over the very same subject.
Other painters on the same subject (click to view painting):
