# Democritus and Heraclitus [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [GIORDANO, Luca]() - Date: 1651-1700 - Technique: Oil on canvas, 71 x 56 cm \(each\) ## Commentary These striking representations of the Greek philosophers Democritus and Heraclitus follow in the tradition of Giordano's well-known Philosopher series from the 1650s. Both these and his earlier compositions are indebted to the work of Jusepe de Ribera, with whom he Giordano is thought to have trained \(though there is no documentary evidence proving this was actually the case\). Giordano's philosophers from the 1650s are strongly reminiscent of <a onclick="return OpenOther\('/html/r/ribera/1/thales.html'\)" href="/html/r/ribera/1/thales.html">Ribera's single-figure compositions</a> of half-length saints and philosophers of the 1620s and '30s; many of which would have been accessible to Giordano in a number of important Neapolitan collections at the time. Many of the philosophers are shown as beggars \('filosofi-mendicanti'\) or scientists \('filosofi-scienzati'\); that is alchemists, mathematicians, geographers or astrologers. Both works are framed by painted cartouches and flower garlands, the latter were executed by Giuseppe Recco with whom Giordano often collaborated. ## Related artworks - [A Cynical Philospher]() - [A Homage to Velázquez]() - [Aaron's Sacrifice, and the Destruction of the Band of Korah \(detail\)]() - [Aaron's Sacrifice, and the Destruction of the Band of Korah]() - [Adoration of the Magi]() - [Adoration of the Shepherds]() - [Allegory of the Peace between Florence and Fiesole]() - [Allegory of Wisdom]() - [Apotheosis of the Medici]() - [Battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs]() - [Ceiling decoration \(detail\)]() - [Ceiling decoration \(detail\)]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()