Art of Ancient Egypt

Major Themes

• Longevity, Constancy and Stability • Egyptians believed that the only difference

between living beings and art was that the art would be around forever

• Conventions in Art– Hierarchy of Scale– Composite View– Use of writing in art (hieroglyphics- pictoral signs

Major Themes, cont.

• Idealized representations– Rarely with identifying features

• Cycles of Life• Role of the Gods– Association of divine powers with animals• Highlight supernatural energy and powers of the gods

visually

Palette of Narmer

Afterlife

• Daily interaction between the body, the ka, and the ba• The body – mummified (last forever)• The Ka –life force (needs constant sustenance)• The Ba – everything that makes the human himself

without the body, connection between earth and afterlife

• Daily cycle of rebirth– Each night the ba would rejoin the mummy in the tomb

and be reunited with the ka and come to life again

Tomb Architecture

• Overwhelming concern for the afterlife• Developed from mastaba to step pyramid then

to the pyramids we recognize today– Great Pyramids at Giza were constructed in 4th

Dynasty of the Old Kingdom• Evidence of advanced engineering and large

labor force

Tomb Architecture

Mastaba Step Pyramid Bent Pyramid

Great Pyramids of Gizac. 2550-2490 BCE

Great Pyramids at Giza

• Part of massive tomb complex• Elaborate internal plans with false passageways• Originally faced in white limestone• Meant to echo sun’s rays• Filled with funerary statues – Meant to serve as the body if the mummified body is

stolen• Relief sculpture and wall paintings of everyday

life– Meant to assist ka with afterlife journey

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsutc. 1473-1458 BCE

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

• Tomb Architecture of the New Kingdom• Carved out of rock face• Equally monumental• Collonaded terraces

Funerary SculptureKing Menukaure and

Queen2490-2472 B.C.E.

Close up of Faces

Funerary Sculpture

Large Kneeling Statue of

Hatshepsut with Offering Jars

1479-58 B.C.E.