Art in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian art is five thousand years old. It emerged and took shape in the ancient Egypt, the civilization of the Nile Valley. Expressed in paintings and sculptures, it was highly symbolic and fascinating - this art form revolves round the past and was intended to keep history alive.

In a narrow sense, Ancient Egyptian art refers to the canonical 2D and 3D art developed in Egypt from 3000 BC and used until the 3rd century. It is to be noted that most elements of Egyptian art remained remarkably stable over the 3000 year period that represents the ancient civilization without strong outside influence. The same basic conventions and quality of observation started at a high level and remained near that level over the period.

 Character and Style

Homeometric regularity, keen observation and exact representation of actual life and nature, and strict conformity to a set of rules regarding representation of three dimensional forms dominated the character and style of the art of ancient Egypt. Completeness and exactness were preferred to prettiness and cosmetic representation.

Because of the highly religious nature of Ancient Egyptian civilization, many of the great works of Ancient Egypt depict gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs, who were also considered divine. Ancient Egyptian art is characterized by the idea of order. Clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes and flat areas of color helped to create a sense of order and balance in the art of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines in order to maintain the correct proportions in their work. Political and religious, as well as artistic order, was also maintained in Egyptian art. In order to clearly define the social hierarchy of a situation, figures were drawn to sizes based not on their distance from the painter's point of view but on relative importance. For instance, the Pharaoh would be drawn as the largest figure in a painting no matter where he was situated, and a greater God would be drawn larger than a lesser god.

Egyptian Architecture

Religious beliefs of eternal life, resulted in an impressive sepulchral architecture, tomb building started as soon as a Pharaoh was named, and continued throughout his life until his death. Massive, static, and serene architecture emerged from the need to obtain stability in stone walls.

Focal Points

Statues of Pharaohs and sanctuaries of gods in temples, and sarcophagus in tombs dominated the whole architectural layout.

Walls immensely thick and sloping - structural requirement for balancing (vertical walls of stone are unstable)

Stone Columns closely spaced - Large spans were not possible

Stone Lintels - massive with short spans, stone is a material that has a weak tensile strength

Flat roofs - Domes and vaults were unknown in Egypt

Hieroglyphs - recording of historic events in stone obelisks and walls

Religious symbols - ( scarabs, solar disk) essential component for the decoration of all architectural elements.

Techniques:

The basic construction method was post and lintel. Buildings were erected without mortar, so the stones had to fit and cut precisely together. Ramps were used to allow workmen to carry stones to the top of structures - as height was added, the ramp was raised.

 Sculpture

Symbolic elements were widely used and strict laws governing the use of these symbols were applied. Artists were ranked according to exact implementation of these laws. Crafts reflects a knowledge of human and animal anatomy. Colossal scale sculpture became the most important symbol of divinity in Egypt. Ushabti figurines were widely spread as funerary goods in all Egyptian tombs starting from the Middle Kingdom onwards.

Sphinxes were Guardians placed in temples, beside pyramids and served to protect holy buildings.

 Egyptian Paintings

Paintings that decorated the walls of the tombs in Egypt were intended to keep alive the history. The pictures and models found in Egyptian tombs were connected with the idea of providing the soul with helpmates in the other world. These wall-paintings provide in extraordinarily vivid picture of life as it was lived in Egypt thousands of years ago. And yet, looking at the art for the first time, may find rather look strange. What mattered most was not prettiness but completeness. It was the artists' task to preserve everything as clearly and permanently as possible. So they did not set out to sketch nature as it appeared to them from any fortuitous angle. They drew from memory, according to strict rules which ensured that everything that had to go into the picture would stand out in perfect clarity.

Frontalism - strict rules

The image was frequently identified by inscription, resemblance with the depicted was not necessary, infirmities and old age are rarely shown. Most images are glowing examples of prosperity, youth, and good health. The head of the character was always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from the front. Although the face is to the side, the eye is drawn in full. The legs are turned to the same side as the head, with one foot placed in front of the other. The head is at right angles to the body. Every figure in paintings, stands or sits with a formal, stiff, and rigid posture. The stance of the body is severe, but the faces are calm and serene. Slaves and animals were painted more natural and relaxed, and with a smaller scale in drawings to show their limited importance. There was little attempt at plastic or spatial illusionism - no attempt at linear perspective. Artists made colors from raw materials around them and therefore worked in a limited number of shades.  Color was applied in flat tones - strict rules often applied to the use of a particular color for particular purpose. For example, men's skin was colored red while women's was yellow.

Subjects:

- Religious scenes

- Military scenes

- Daily life scenes

Egyptian art also could be divided into periods:

Earliest History

Old Kingdom

Middle Kingdom

New Kingdom

By Anastasia Grishchenko