デモクリトス
Meet Democritus, though he looks less like a joyful ancient Greek philosopher and more like a stressed-out scholar who hasn't slept in days, with papers stuffed into his shirt and geometry diagrams sprawled before him. The scroll he holds features a surprisingly modern-sounding Italian motto: 'I have sometimes repented of having spoken, but never of having been silent'—basically the 17th-century version of 'I should have kept my mouth shut.' Painted by the Baroque master Luca Giordano, who was nicknamed 'Luca the Fast' for his lightning speed, this piece uses dramatic lighting to highlight the philosopher's intense, furrowed expression and the gritty reality of intellectual life.
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