History of Art –
Chapter 3
Egyptian Art
1.
Egyptian art has fascinated the west.
a.
Most of the art is from tombs where objects were
meant to accommodate the deceased into the afterlife.
i. The
art was not meant to be seen, except by the dead.
2.
Egyptian art is an art of permanence.
3.
Artists did no strive for originality, but to
traditional formulations and specific ideas.
4.
Continuity of form and subject is characteristic
of Egyptian art.
5.
Many best known works were for Pharaohs and
exalted leaders.
6.
Pharos: God king charged with the well being of
the land and the people.
7.
Agrarian culture back to 5,000 B.Ch.E.
8.
Gods words: Hieroglyphs: Developed about the
same time as cuneiform
9.
Two dimensional art: Body and arms frontal, face
is in profile.
10. Pictographs: Small symbols based on abstract
representations/concepts.
11. Art
consists of literal interpretations and symbols.
12. The
Old Kingdom:
a.
Tombs were constructed to endure.
b.
Necropolis: Cemetery or City of the dead.
13. Time
Line:
a.
5,450 - 2,960: Pre
Dynasty
b.
2,960 - 2,659: Early
dynastic
c.
2,649 – 2,150: Old Kingdom
d.
2,040 – 1,640: Middle Kingdom
e.
1,550 – 1070:
New Kingdom.
14. Imhotep:
Advanced Egyptian culture through astronomy, architecture and medicine. Noted as histories first architect.
15. 2,2520
or so: Shift in pyramid design. Steps changed
to smooth sides. Suggest change to solar
aspects/associations. Rulers orientation
changed from the Northern stars to the rising of the Sun.
a.
Suggest duties changed from ritual to ensuring
the rising sun.
16. Representing
the Human figure.
a.
The frontal pose with profile speaks to what the
mind knows, more so than what the eye sees.
It is more conceptual than intellectual.
b.
Sculptures of kings depict motionless positions
and frontal views. Stones were used from
both upper and lower Egypt suggesting unity.
Tended to be coded.
c.
Body proportions suggest standards for crafting
the human body.
d.
Canon’s standards: developed 5th
millennium B.C.E. Though the body parts
differ, their relationship to each other stays the same. As such a template could be used for any
scale human figure.
17. Elite Males – two ideal images:
a.
Young youthful stage, physically fit.
b.
Fat, wrinkles to indicate maturity. Suggest success as they ate well and other
people did their physical labor.
Reaffirms the social status.
c.
Pose, proportion and appearance applied to the
upper echelon of society.
d.
Paintings and reliefs
i. Played
a role in Egyptian belief systems.
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