History of one delusion: Paul Klee's "Senecio"

In the article is built a system of the argumentation according to which the portrait of "Senecio" which entered a triptych "Three pictures of P. Klee" of Edison Denisov represents a portrait of the philosopher Seneca, who at the same time acted on the arena of history as the tutor of Neron. The circumstance that the other name of the picture - "A portrait of the comedian Senecio" takes away art critics from opportunity to hear echoes of a tragic destiny of the Teacher betrayed by his student, including painful asking why this is possible. All this put authors before need to consider the different points of view for the visual image imprinted by the artist. Insisting on competency to see "Senecio" as a spiritual shape of the mentor of the emperor, authors pay attention not only on such "text signals" which reveal in the painting of P. Klee the type of thinker, whose life was taken at will of his ward (a bloody and fiery background, the round head noted by lack of auricles and mouth opening, a red eyes entered in an infinity sign, eyebrows, one of which is drawn in the form of a triangle apex up - a sign of the man's active beginning, another - in the form of a semicircle - a sign of the female passive beginning), but also on a historical context. The suicide of Seneca turned into a tragicomedy. Enough to remember that, performing the order of Neron, Seneca at first opened to himself veins to manage to leave life before sunset, standing, he took poison which action also had to lead to desirable result. However, the death didn't come and, hoping to accelerate process, Seneca asked to put him into the pool with warm water. Nevertheless, life left the philosopher only when, according to his request, he was transferred to the heated bath where he suffocated from steam. Tragicomic is also that Seneca's spouse Pompey Paulina after receiving from him blessing on suicide opened her veins together with him, but she was rescued by the order of Neron. Afterwards, she was bearing with dignity the widowhood.

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