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Apelles
Apelles
Sources disagree as to whether Apelles was a native of Cos (Pliny), Colophon (Suidas), or Ephesus (Strabo and Lucian). In the early stages of his career he was a pupil of Pamphilus, the guiding spirit of the Sicyonian school of painting, and Apelles seems to have remained associated with that school. During his mature years he executed portraits for Philip of Macedon, according to Pliny in Naturalis historia (XXV, 93). After Philip's death Apelles became court painter to Alexander the Great. Alexander is said to have so admired Apelles' work that he ordered the execution of painted royal portraits to be made Apelles' exclusive prerogative. After Alexander's death Apelles found employment in Alexandria at the court of Ptolemy I. He was implicated in a conspiracy to overthrow Ptolemy but managed to clear himself and regain the King's favor. The famous allegorical painting Calumny, described in detail by Lucian and recreated in the 15th-century painting by Sandro Botticelli, was perhaps created in an effort to convince Ptolemy of the painter's innocence. The many anecdotes told about Apelles by ancient writers suggest a spirited, confident, at times even impudent personality, who was always ready to spar with his critics, including Alexander. On one occasion, when Alexander was discoursing on the art of painting, Apelles advised him to be silent because the boys who served as color grinders were laughing at his remarks (Pliny, Naturalis historia, XXV, 85). Apelles is also said to have told Alexander that his judgment in art was inferior to that of a horse (Aelian, Variae historiae, II, 3). Alexander seems to have taken the remarks in his stride. As is the case with other Greek painters, no work by Apelles has survived, and what the ancient sources tell about his style is in some ways contradictory. On the one hand, he is described as a meticulous technician who never let a day pass without practicing his art, who outdid his contemporary Protogenes in subtlety of line, who was sensitive to criticism of the detail of his works, who painstakingly calculated the effect of his colors, and whose portraits were so precise that diviners claimed to be able to read their sitters' futures from their facial details. On the other hand, Apelles seems to have written a treatise or memoir in which he conceded his inferiority to some of his contemporaries in composition and proportion (Pliny, Naturalis historia, XXV, 85) but maintained that they lacked his "charm" or "grace" (Greek, charis), an instinctive quality which seems to have involved, among other things, knowing when to stop working on a painting. Many works by Apelles—portraits, mythological subjects, and allegorical scenes—are mentioned by ancient writers. The two most admired seem to have been Aphrodite Anadyomene (Aphrodite rising from the sea), originally in the Asklepieion in Cos and later placed by Augustus in the Temple of the Divine Caesar in Rome; and Alexander Keraunophoros (Alexander represented as Zeus holding a thunderbolt) in Ephesus. Some echoes of Apelles' works may be preserved in Pompeiian paintings, notably what seems to be a copy of Alexander Keraunophoros in the House of the Vettii. Further ReadingThere is no biography of Apelles. The principal sources on Apelles are translated in J.J. Pollitt, The Art of Greece, 1400-31 B.C.: Sources and Documents (1965). Background works on ancient Greek art include Ernst Pfuhl, Masterpieces of Greek Drawing and Painting (1924; trans. 1926; new ed. 1955); Gisela M.A. Richter, A Handbook of Greek Art (1959; 5th rev. ed. 1967); and Martin Robertson, Greek Painting (1959). □ |
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"Apelles." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Apelles." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404700235.html "Apelles." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404700235.html |
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Apelles
Apelles. Greek painter active in the 4th century bc, born at Colophon in Asia Minor. None of his work survives, but in antiquity he was reckoned the greatest of Greek painters, excelling all others in grace and also described as a master of composition and of chiaroscuro. He was court painter to Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, and one of the many anecdotes concerning him tells how Alexander gave him his mistress Pancaspe after the artist had fallen in love with her while painting her in the nude. The names of about 30 of his works are recorded by ancient sources. Among his subjects were portraits of Alexander the Great (particularly famous was one for the temple of Artemis at Ephesus), Calumny, and Aphrodite Anadyomene (Venus Rising from the Sea), made for the temple of Asclepius at Cos, brought to Rome by Augustus, and set up in the temple of Caesar. Descriptions of his work by classical authors were well known during the Renaissance and inspired several major artists to emulate them. Botticelli made a painting and Mantegna a drawing of Calumny (Uffizi, Florence, and BM, London, respectively), and Titian painted an Aphrodite Anadyomene (NG, Edinburgh). A small but majestic painting of Zeus Enthroned in the House of the Vettii at Pompeii may well be a reminiscence of Apelles' picture of Alexander holding a thunderbolt.
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IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-Apelles.html IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles Greek painter active in the 4th century bc, born at Colophon in Asia Minor. Apelles was reckoned in antiquity to be the greatest of Greek painters, renowned particularly for his gracefulness, but none of his work survives. He was court painter to Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, and one of the many anecdotes concerning the artist tells how Alexander gave him his mistress Pancaspe after the artist had fallen in love with her while painting her in the nude. The names of about 30 of his works are recorded by ancient sources. Among them were portraits of Alexander the Great (particularly famous was one for the temple of Artemis at Ephesus), Aphrodite Anadyomene (Venus rising from the sea) made for the temple of Asclepius at Cos, brought to Rome by Augustus, and set up in the temple of Caesar, and Calumny. Descriptions of his work by classical authors were well known during the Renaissance and inspired several major artists to attempt to emulate them. Botticelli made a painting and Mantegna a drawing of Calumny (Uffizi, Florence, and BM, London, respectively), and Titian painted an Aphrodite Anadyomene (NG, Edinburgh).
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IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-Apelles.html IAN CHILVERS. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles , fl. 330 BC, Greek painter, the most celebrated in antiquity but now known only through descriptions of his works. He is thought to have studied under Ephorus of Ephesus and under Pamphilus of Amphipolis at Sicyon. He was court painter to Philip II of Macedon and to Alexander the Great. His portraits of Alexander included one in the Temple of Diana at Ephesus that showed Alexander wielding the thunderbolts of Zeus. Apelles excelled in painting horses, and according to Pliny the portrait of Antigonus Cyclops on horseback was his masterpiece. Most famous, perhaps, was the painting of Aphrodite rising from the sea. A painting made by Botticelli from Alberti's description of Apelles' Calumny is in the Uffizi. Apelles is said to have been the first to recognize the talents of Protogenes . He also influenced Mantegna and Titian . |
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"Apelles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Apelles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Apelles.html "Apelles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles (2nd cent.), founder of a Gnostic sect. Originally a disciple of Marcion, he modified his dualism in an attempt to defend a less Docetic doctrine of the Person of Christ. Christ, he held, came down from the good God, who was not himself the creator of the world, however, and really lived and suffered in a body miraculously formed out of the elements.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Apelles.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Apelles." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Apelles." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Apelles.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Apelles." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles (4th century bc), Greek painter. He is now known only from written sources, as by Pliny's account of his Venus Anadyomene, but was highly acclaimed throughout the ancient world.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Apelles.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Apelles." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles (fl. 330–320 bc), a celebrated Greek painter, who won the favour of Alexander the Great. He figures in Lyly's Campaspe.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Apelles.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Apelles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Apelles.html |
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Apelles
Apelles
•Andes
•Hades, Mercedes
•Archimedes • Thucydides • aphides
•Eumenides, Parmenides
•Maimonides, Simonides
•Euripides • cantharides • Hesperides
•Hebrides
•Aristides, bona fides
•Culdees
•Alcibiades, Hyades, Pleiades
•Cyclades • antipodes • Sporades
•Ganges • Apelles
•tales, Thales
•Achilles, Antilles
•Los Angeles • Ramillies • Pericles
•isosceles • Praxiteles • Hercules
•Empedocles • Sophocles • Damocles
•Androcles • Heracles • Themistocles
•Hermes • Menes • testudines
•Diogenes • Cleisthenes
•Demosthenes
•Aristophanes, Xenophanes
•manganese • Holofernes • editiones principes • herpes
•lares, primus inter pares
•Antares, Ares, Aries, caries
•antifreeze • Ceres • Buenos Aires
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"Apelles." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Apelles." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Apelles.html "Apelles." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Apelles.html |
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