Egypt

1
Egypt
Old Kingdom 3100-2185 BC Middle Kingdom 2133-1786
BC New Kingdom 1580-1085 BC
Artist as Magician
2
New Vocabulary Ka Palatte Mastaba Pylon
3

• Civilization in Egypt organized earlier, but
  first dynasties 3000 BC-the start of the old
  kingdom
• Pharaoh was supreme ruler and a god- basis of all
  civilization and of artwork
• Knowledge of civilization rest solely in tombs
• Preoccupation with the cult of the dead (like
  Neolithic) but no fear of the spirits of the dead
• Each person must provide for the happiness of his
  afterlife- would reproduce daily life in tombs
  for their Ka (spirit) to enjoy- blurring of line
  between life and death
• Tomb was like afterlife insurance

4

• Utilitarian-used to prepare eye makeup (to
  protect from sun glare)
• King Narmer united upper and lower Egypt- wears
  the crown of upper Egypt
• Palette is first known work of historical art (as
  opposed to pre-historic) and is not funerary
• Symbols include Papyrus (lower Egypt), falcon
  (Horus), bare feet, lower figures

Palette of King Narmer, c. 3000 BC
5

• Other Side-
• appears barefoot again and marches to inspect
  decapitated enemies.
• Pharoh is strong bull trampling enemy and
  knocking down a citadel- bulls tail is a part of
  pharoh garb for 3000 years
• Center section is a symbol for unification -used
  to hold eye makeup
• Both panels have a strong sense of
  order-organized into bands
• Artist works for clarity first
• Only 3 views- frontal, profile, from above
• Strives to show pharaoh in most complete way- but
  this prevents any feeling of movement

6
Tomb Architecture-relates only to Pharaoh and
high officials
7
Step Pyramid of Zoser, 2600 bc
Built on a Mastaba (Arabic for bench), burial
chamber deep underground with a shaft linking it
to the pyramid, meant to serve as a great monument
8
Step Pyramid of King Zoser, 3rd Dynasty, 2600 BC

• Part of a huge funerary district with temples and
  other buildings, scenes of religious celebration
  before and after death-both symbolic and
  practical
• Designed by Imhotep-1st known artist in recorded
  history

9

• Columns
• Egyptian architecture began with mud bricks,
  wood, reeds- Imhotep used cut stone masonry
• style was similar to less enduring material-
  columns are always engaged rather than
  free-standing- just like bundles of reeds used to
  look like-
• now columns had an expressive purpose rather than
  just functional-had a profound impact on Greek
  architecture
• tapering fluted columns were designed for harmony
  and elegance, not just to hold things up
• Papyrus columns are linked with lower Egypt

10
Great Pyramids at Giza, 4th Dynasty

• Egyptian dead were always buried on the west side
  of the Nile, where the sun sets
• Burial Chamber is in the center of the pyramid
  rather than underneath
• Originally covered in smooth stone, built over
  the course of 75 years
• Funerary district is much more organized than
  Zoser- surrounded by mastabas and smaller
  pyramids
• Pyramid shape came from cult of the sun god, Re,
  also from step shape

11
The Great Sphinx, Pyramids at Giza

• Next to pyramids (closest to Chefron)-serves as
  guardian
• 65 feet tall, carved from one stone
• Damaged during Islamic times, but had features of
  Chefron
• End of the period of huge scale monuments

12
Chefron from Giza, 2500 BC

• Served as a back up in case mummies were
  destroyed
• Made of carved of extremely hard stone called
  diorite
• shows enthroned king with the falcon of the god
  Horus
• Shows the artists cubic view of the human
  figure- created by drawing the front and side
  view of the figure on the block of stone and then
  working inward until the views met
• figure is immobile and firm- the body is
  impersonal but the face has some individual
  traits

13

• Standing (common pose), both have left foot
  forward, yet they are not moving forward-
• No emotion- outwardly or towards each other
• same height, provide a comparison of male and
  female beauty

Mycerinus and Queen
14

• Most poses were seated or standing- another pose
  added in the 4th century BC-
• the scribe pose- cross-legged on the ground-
  scribe is a lower court official- most scribes
  were sons of pharaohs.
• Alert expression in face, individualized torso-
  flabby and middle-aged
• Serves true for the history of art- the lower the
  rank of the subject, the more realism is used

Seated Scribe
15

• Tomb paintings (non-royal)- landscapes were
  popular
• background is very active
• Ti is much larger than others- shows importance
• Ti isnt engaging in activity- hes watching-
  also shows importance
• Action is going on after death- body does not
  respond, but the spirit appreciates the activity
• Scenes are not nostalgic, they describe life
  cycle activities
• Success of the hunt symbolizes triumph over evil

Ti Watching a Hippo
16

• Collapse of centralized pharaonic power at the
  end of the sixth dynasty Egypt entered political
  disturbance for 700 years-
• power by local overlords who revived rivalry of
  the north/south
• after 12th century, invaded by Hyksos, of Asiatic
  origin and ruled for 150 years until 1570 BC
• Portraiture- faces are troubled rather than
  serene- have self-awareness- very realistic
  physically and psychological-

The Middle Kingdom
Portrait of Sesostris, 1850 BC
17
New Kingdom...

• 500 years following Hyksos- 18th-20th dynasties
  are a golden age of Egypt-
• extended borders into Palestine and Syria period
  known as the empire- tremendous trade and
  architectural projects-centering on new capital,
  Thebes
• divinity of kings now connected with god Amun who
  was fused with Ra (sun god) and was the ultimate
  deity- priests of Amun grew in wealth and in
  power and threatened power of pharaoh-
• Amenhotep IV tried to gain more power by
  declaring the existence of only one god, the sun
  god Aten- changed his name to Akhenaten, closed
  the Amun temples, and moved the capital to
  central Egypt-
• his attempts at monotheism did not outlast his
  reign (1365-1347 BC)- country became based on
  priests until until taken over by Greek and
  Romans
• New Kingdom art covers many styles

18

• Built 1480 BC against rocky cliffs,
• Built by Hatshepsut, the first great female
  ruler-often portrayed as a man in portraits
• dedicated to Amun-
• linked by ramps and colonnades to a small chamber
  deep in the rock-
• great example of architecture within natural
  setting- ramps echo shape of cliffs

Temple of Hatshepsut, 1480 BC
19

• More imperial palaces built
• Dedicated to Amun, supreme God
• An example of the form of most New Kingdom
  Palaces
• Entrance is a Pylon
• Closed off by walls
• Faces the Nile
• Columns made much heavier than needed and were
  elaborately carved

Temple at Luxor, 1390 BC
20
How has style changed?
Mai and his Wife

• How has the societys vision of beauty changed?
• More androgynous, weaker-looking-why??

Akhenaten- done 15 years later
21

• A famous example of the Akhenaten Style
• New sense of style that unfreezes the immobility
  of Egyptian art
• Was unfinished and found in the sculptors studio

Queen Nofretete, 1360 BC
22

• Style and religion returned to tradition-
• Tutankhamen was Akhenatens son-died at age 18
• Three nesting coffins

Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his
tomb!!
Coffin of Tutankhamen