Fifth century B.C.E.–Fourth century B.C.E.

Painter

Master of Realist Painting.

The Greek artist Zeuxis was born in the city of Heraclea in southern Italy sometime in the fifth century B.C.E. While still a young man, he travelled to Athens and built his reputation as one of Greece's best realist artists there. His style carried on the artistic innovation known as skiagraphia ("shading") developed by the little-known master Apollodorus of Athens. The technique modulated light and shade so as to imitate what the eye sees in nature, thus giving figures the appearance of weight and volume. Apollodorus remarked wryly in an epigram that Zeuxis robbed this artistic technique from his masters and made it his own. Regardless of the originality of his style, Zeuxis indeed was a master of it, and became very wealthy on commissions for his work. He even displayed...