My wife has created some renderings of Epicurus and the gang and is selling prints of them:
"A Day In The Garden: Epicurus, Hermarchus, Leonteus, Themista, Hippoclides, Polystratus, and Alexandria" by Genevra Catalano (2023)
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Those look great!
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Nate I have noted over the years on Facebook that both you and your wife are very talented and creative. So is this a painting done with brush and paint, or computer graphic designing, or what? I hope you'll be able to encourage her to do more like this. And do I see that she's done more than one work on Epicurus? I tried to follow links on the etsy page but was not sure how to look for the rest of her work.
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Eikadistes, thanks for sharing, very nice! Since the description doesn't say a print of an original oil or acrylic painting, then wondering if these are text-to-image designs?
Also, seeing Epicurus in a red toga got me curious, as I seem to remember reading that philosophers wore white...but I need to find a reference for that (so do not yet have reference source for that).
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I hope you'll be able to encourage her to do more like this. And do I see that she's done more than one work on Epicurus? I tried to follow links on the etsy page but was not sure how to look for the rest of her work.
She does have a number of designs that I will be sharing soon!
I initially asked her to make some renderings for my Hedonicon ("Epicurean Bible"), which I'll be sharing soon. I will share the other renderings she has done soon, as well. One of her specialties is to take portraits and turn them into Renaissance-styled paintings, and she's advanced to making realistic renderings, so we'll have some to share.
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Eikadistes, thanks for sharing, very nice! Since the description doesn't say a print of an original oil or acrylic painting, then wondering if these are text-to-image designs?
Also, seeing Epicurus in a red toga got me curious, as I seem to remember reading that philosophers wore white...but I need to find a reference for that (so do not yet have reference source for that).
Based on my understanding, the "white toga" is a bit of a historical misnomer. The toga is a Roman-specific piece of garb whereas the Greeks wore tunics and chitons (among a number of other styles). Clothing was typically colorful and included a variety of dyes, as much as people have always used dyes and pigmentation as an aesthetic. (Lee, Mireille M. Body, dress, and identity in ancient Greece. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015).
Outside of graphic design, Gen is a seamstress and costume designer, and has an extensive knowledge base when it comes to the history of fashion and clothing design, so I defer to her artistic choices as far the red goes.
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Based on my understanding, the "white toga" is a bit of a historical misnomer. The toga is a Roman-specific piece of garb whereas the Greeks wore tunics and chitons (among a number of other styles). Clothing was typically colorful and included a variety of dyes, as much as people have always used dyes and pigmentation as an aesthetic. (Lee, Mireille M. Body, dress, and identity in ancient Greece. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015).
Thank you, I realized I used "toga"...which is from the later Roman era. I can find a lot more on ancient Roman compared to ancient Greece. The toga virilis was white and senators also wore white. We now know that ancient sculptures were painted bright colors, but that doesn't really answer the question of what color robe Epicurus would have worn.
This is on ancient Roman clothing:
QuoteThe boundaries between the different classes were strict and legally enforced: members of different classes even dressed differently. Only the emperor was allowed to wear a purple toga, while senators could wear a white toga with the latus clavus, a broad purple stripe along the edge. Equestrian togas had a narrow purple stripe (clavus augustus).
I am still doing more research on ancient Greece, such as finding out if certain colors where reserved for special festivals, in which ritual clothing (perhaps more colorful) was donned.
Also, certain color dyes were very costly. Red madder (a brick red, paler and browner) was less expensive than red kermes (more vibrant crimson red).
The question remains...what would a philosopher/teacher wear?
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The question remains...what would a philosopher/teacher wear?
I would say that differs according to how ascetic they were, and since I personally don't think Epicurus was into asceticism, I'd be surprised if he didn't have a varying wardrobe.
Seems I remember that Frances Wright took one of the Cynics to task for his dress in "A Few Days In Athens" but I don't recall her talking about color Epicurus wore. Maybe it's in the first chapter that I skip through quickly because it's a little too "flowery" for my taste.
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Gen has been a digital artist for over a decade, so everything is done with a digital tools. However, she does neither use AI Optimization Enhancement tools nor does she use text-to-image designs.
Wow, that's great! I would guess perhaps she uses a stylus pen for digital drawing/painting.
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Eikadistes This is beautiful (the other one also)! I just ordered the large one from Etsy. There is a big blank white wall in front of my desk, where it will hang!
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Red madder (a brick red, paler and browner)
Madder root can produce bright reds when mixed with mordants.
Rubia tinctorum - Wikipediaen.m.wikipedia.org -
Eikadistes This is beautiful (the other one also)! I just ordered the large one from Etsy. There is a big blank white wall in front of my desk, where it will hang!
I am glad you like it! I will be sure to pass along that compliment to my wife.
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The print arrived today. It is more impressive than the pictures, with a fine visual texture. We took it to have it framed.
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This is the framed print on the wall above by desk. (The photo is not very clear,
nor does it capture the size.) But there it is, for daily inspiration.
