The Saddest Painting Ever

In 1885, British artist Briton Rivière painted one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the history of art. A beggar and an old dog looking at each other. That is all we see. But behind this simple image lies a story written by Homer almost three thousand years ago. The story of Argos, the dog who waited twenty years for his master to return, and of Ulysses, who could not even say goodbye to him. With the release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, millions of people are discovering this painting for the first time. But this image has been breaking hearts for more than a century. In this video we explore the story behind the saddest painting ever made. ► Shop "Ulysses and Argos" (1885) at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/products/ulysses-and-argus-briton-riviere-1885 ► Shop Art Prints & Canvas at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/collections/shop-all ► Shop Fine Art Phone Cases at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/collections/iphone-cases → Join our FREE newsletter: https://www.inspiraggio.com/pages/newsletter → Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiraggio → Contact: [email protected] 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Ulysses and Argos 2:57 The Painting 4:02 Briton Rivière 5:09 Reflection SOURCES Wikipedia — Argos (dog) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argos_(dog) Wikipedia — Briton Rivière https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briton_Rivi%C3%A8re Homer's Odyssey, Book XVII — Alexander Pope translation https://litletter.substack.com/p/litletter-207-ulysses-and-argos-and Cornell University Library — "Exceptional Dogs: Homer's Odyssey" https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/AnimalLegends/feature/exceptional-dogs #arthistory #art Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.