Anton Raphael Mengs (1729–79)
Mengs, as an early exponent of neo-classicism and associate of Winckelmann, was concerned with the distinction between copying and imitation. He wrote: '...he who effectively studies and observes the works of great men with the true desire to imitate them, makes himself capable of producing works which resemble them, because he considers the reasons with which they are done...and this makes him an imitator without being a plagiarist'. Mengs's Parnassus (1761), a ceiling fresco for the Villa Albani in Rome, was designed expressly with Winckelmann's advice and established Mengs's reputation as an important artist. Unlike the composition of typical baroque or rococo painted ceilings, its composition is simple: only a few figures, in calm, static poses mainly derived from antique statues. It is thus marked out as a key early neo-classical work. He was an arch rival of Pompei Batoni.
