32. The Painter Who Laughed Himself to Death
The Ancient Greek artist Zeuxis (flourished fifth century BC) was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the greatest painters to have ever lived. He was innovative and broke with tradition, and departed from the usual method of filling in shapes with color, relying instead upon a clever manipulation of light and shadows to enhance the realism of his works. He often preferred to paint panels rather than the contemporary norm of wall paintings, and usually went for small compositions, often with just a single figure.
None of his works survive today, but historical records describe his paintings as exceptionally realistic. As recounted by Roman writer Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, Zeuxis entered into a competition with a rival painter named Parhassius, to see who could create the most realistic painting. When Zeuxis unveiled his entry, the grapes that he painted were so life-like, so the story goes, that birds flew down to peck at them. Unfortunately, the great painter is better remembered for the manner of his death: he died from laughing too hard.