Ancient Egyptian Art - Did
they really walk like that?
Ancient
Egyptian art is unique in its approach to visual representation.
It follows a set of canons or strict rules that cover a span of
3500 years. Ancient Egyptians knew nothing about mathematical perspective,
but then again, no one else did. Perspective in art is a Renaissance
discovery.
Ancient Egyptian art had to do more than just please the eye of
the beholder. It had to be informative. Few people could actually
read or write, so images had to convey information about a character's
importance and activities. For example, pharaohs and gods were always
the largest figures in the composition. Their postures were also
much more formal and angular to show their social status. Their
expression was also emotionless for the same reason. This approach
to representing a character's importance in society is called hieratism.
The principal canon of ancient Egyptian art is that objects are
to be represented or depicted from the angle of view where they
are best defined. A face is best represented in profile (think of
a silhouette) while the torso looks more defined in frontal view.
The eye in a profiled face is depicted in front view. Hands and
feet are drawn in profile, with legs extended when the figure is
represented as walking.
These artistic conventions were passed from generation
to generation of artists, only to be broken briefly during the Amarna
period, when the pharaoh Akhenaten
asked his artists to relax the rules of posture and represent him
and Nefertiti in a more human
and gentler fashion.
There are slight but noticeable differences in ancient Egyptian
art styles according to period.
Art from the early dynasties are more hieratic, the
figures are somewhat stocky and the color scheme is muted. The Egyptian
Museum has the best collection of this type of Egyptian art. The
other comparable collection is at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
©2003
Digital Replica by Ben Morales-Correa
Art from the New Kingdom is distinguished for its refined style
and brighter color scheme. It's a time of wealth, with gold and
other expensive materials more liberally employed, especially in
small statuary, furniture and, of course, jewelry. Sculpture becomes
monumental. Art from this epoch was highly prized as treasures during
the 19th century and much have been stolen out of Egypt. The finest
collection of New Kingdom art is at the British Museum. From this
era is also the so called Amarna style, with more sinous elements
in its design.
All tours in Egypt include visits to temples from
the Ptolemaic Era, such as the Temple
of Isis at Philae, The Temple of Hathor
at Dendera
and The Temple of Horus at Edfu. These temples are better preserved
than the Temples of Karnak and Luxor simply because they are more
recent. (2000 years is relatively new in Egypt!). You may notice
that the reliefs on these temples are different than the ones in
the Temple of Luxor or the Temple
of Seti at Abydos, for example. Ptolemaic temples are influenced
by Greek art. Figures are more anatomically defined and the relief
has more depth.
Be aware of these subtle differences when appreciating
ancient Egyptian art at museums, temple walls and tomb paintings.
Later on, this knowledge will help you distinguish the good replicas
from the notorious offer of badly crafted souvenirs.
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