Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 8

Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 8 - A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History

Phidias, one of the greatest sculptors the world has seen, and whose name has become, as it were, the synonym of his art, was born at Athens about 500 B.C. He belonged to a family of artists, none of whom indeed were distinguished in their profession, but their varied occupations furnished the atmosphere in which such a talent as that of Phidias could best be fostered and brought to maturity. His father was Charmides, who is believed to have been an artist, because the Greeks, in their inscriptions, did not associate the name of the father with that of the son unless both were of the same calling. A brother of Phidias, Pannos, was a painter, and is mentioned among those artists, twenty or more in number, who in conjunction with Polygnotus, one of the chief painters of his day, were employed in the decoration of the Pcile or Painted Portico, one of the many beautiful buildings erected by Cimon. The Pcile was simply a long platform, with a roof supported by a row of columns on one side and by a wall on the other. It was called "the painted," because the wall at the back was covered with a series of large historical pictures containing many figures, and recording some of the chief events of the time, together with others relating to an earlier and more shadowy epoch. The subject of the painting, executed, at least in part, by the brother of Phidias, was the Battle of Marathon, in which great event it is thought he may himself have taken part. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 29352
Author: Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)
Release Date: Jul 8, 2009
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942