The Origins of the Concept of Beauty in Painting

The text by a Roman author below is an allegory to describe the moment beauty and skill became the driving force of western art. Ancient Rome saw painting come into its own as an art form, beyond simple decoration, and contemporary commentators, such as Pliny, felt it needed a quasi-mythical origin.

According to Pliny(XXXV.88, 81): It was Apelles who established the reputation of Protogenes when he made it known that he, himself, was buying his work with the intention of selling it as his own. Only then was the artist appreciated by his countrymen. Once, he visited Protogenes, only to find that he was not at home. On a large panel in the man’s studio, he painted a single fine colored line. When the artist returned and saw what had been done, he knew his visitor to have been Apelles. He then drew an even finer line in another color exactly over the first one. When Apelles came again, he drew a third line, this time so exquisitely fine that no other could be drawn.

Bibliography
Natural History, Pliny
Encyclopaedia Romana

Original content created by: The Inquisition