"A crumbling statue of Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, lies forgotten among the ruins of a once-great civilization. While chaos and destruction dominate the landscape, the deteriorating statue serves as a cautionary tale about the limitations of Stoic resilience. The sky is uniformly dark, allowing no light to shine on the statue. The painting will employ muted tones and a monochromatic palette to underline the impermanence and ultimate irrelevance of Stoicism."