Classical Wisdom Litterae - November 2020

39 Plato. etching by D. Cunego, 1783 XXXIX Apelles (352 BC – 308 BC) was an Ionian Greek from the island of Cos. You could say he was the rock star of ar t in the Hellenistic period. In Pliny’s opinion, Apelles per fected the techniques of real i sm, symmetry and depth. He was a master of the ‘four color palette’ and, once again according to Pliny, created the recipe for a black varnish, which served to preserve and soften the colors. A number of sayings are c o n n e c t e d t o A p e l l e s , including Nulla dies sine linea … Not a day without a line drawn! Ap e l l e s s t ud i e d fir s t a t Ephesus and later at Sicyion, u n d e r t h e p r e v i o u s l y mentioned Pamphilos. Apelles went on to become the portrait artist not only to Alexander the Great, but also to his father, Philip. Crossing the Hellespont. Ink and watercolor to illustrate Xerxes “ You could say he [Apelles] was the rock st ar of art in the Helleni st ic period. ” Appelles stands in the center of the auditorium in a replica painting by Charles Béranger, The Walters Art Museum