,
Zeuxis choosing his models (1858) Zeuxis was born in Heraclea in 464 BCE, probably
Heraclea Lucania, in the present-day region of
Basilicata in the southeastern "boot" of Italy. He may have studied with Demophilus of Himera (Sicily), or with Neseus of Thasos (an island in the northern
Aegean Sea), and/or with the Greek painter
Appollodorus. He was active across the ancient Greek world from Magna Graecia to Ephesus, to Macedonia, Samos and to Athens where his greatest number of works were made. The "Eros" of the temple of Aphrodite and the "Penelope" were some of his first works. Records cite his notable works as
Helen,
Zeus Enthroned, and
The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpents. He also painted an assembly of gods,
Eros crowned with roses,
Alcmene,
Menelaus, an athlete,
Pan,
Marsyas chained, and an old woman. King
Archelaus I of Macedon employed Zeuxis to decorate the palace of his new capital
Pella with a picture of Pan. Most of his works went to
Rome and
Byzantium but disappeared during the time of
Pausanias. '' by
François-André Vincent, 1789 Zeuxis was an innovative Greek painter. Although his paintings have not survived, historical records state they were known for their realism, small scale, novel subject matter, and independent format. His technique created volumetric illusion by manipulating light and shadow, a change from the usual method of filling in shapes with flat colors. Preferring small-scale panels to murals, Zeuxis also introduced genre subjects (such as still life) into painting. He contributed to the composite method of composition and may have originated an approach to, and thus influenced the concept of the ideal form of the nude, as described by art historian
Kenneth Clark. As the story goes, according to
Cicero, Zeuxis could not find a woman beautiful enough to pose as
Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, so he selected the finest features of five different models of the city of
Croton to create a composite image of ideal beauty. ==Painting contest==