Parrhasius

Parrhasius, (flourished 5th century bc, Athens), one of the greatest painters of ancient Greece.

Parrhasius was born in Ephesus, Ionia (now part of Turkey), and later settled in Athens. He was praised by ancient critics as a master of outline drawing, and he apparently relied on subtle contours rather than the new technique of chiaroscuro to suggest the mass of the human body. He also tried to portray various psychological states and emotions in his depictions of the face. Many of his drawings on wood and parchment were preserved and highly valued by later painters for purposes of study. His picture of Theseus adorned the Capitol in Rome; other works were chiefly mythological groups. His picture of the Demos, the personified people of Athens, was particularly famous. None of his works or copies thereof survive.