Apelles: Venus Anadyomene, Archelaus with his wife and daughter
Apelles is undoubtedly the most renowned painter of antiquity. Pliny the Elder considered him superior to both his predecessors and successors, and many modern painters have attempted to emulate his work.
Born in Ionia, Apelles became the official court painter for Philip II and Alexander the Great in Macedon. His close relationship with Alexander, documented in numerous anecdotes, was instrumental in spreading his fame throughout the ancient world.
His work was known for its simplicity of design, beauty of line, and expressive charm, with a particular focus on capturing the human form. Apelles famously believed that a good painter should know when to stop, which may have given his work an appearance of being somewhat unfinished.
Pliny described Apelles' main characteristic as "his singular charm of gracefulness." To envision his paintings, one might imagine something akin to Titian's style. For the Venus Anadyomene, we have several depictions of the goddess's pose from Pompeian frescoes and small statuettes. For the royal portrait, I created a variation inspired by Fayum portraits.
Inspirations
The Birth of Venus from the House of Venus in Pompeii depicts the goddess reclining in a conch shell. However, this representation doesn't align with what some sources say about Apelles' masterpiece. According to tradition, in Apelles' painting, Venus was thought to be standing and wringing her hair. Cf. https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl020016822.
A fresco of Venus wringing her hair in the House of the Prince of Naples in Pompeii.
A bronze statue of Venus Anadyomene, probably inspired by the same model, from the collection of the Musée royal de Mariemont.
Funeral portrait, man with beard. Fayum, Egypt. Part of the Myers Collection, Eton College, Windsor, England.