Art of ancient Egypt
From ArticleWorld
The Art of Ancient Egypt goes as far as five thousand years ago. It took shape in Egypt, the cradle of civilization on the Nile Valley. The art of ancient Egyptians was highly symbolic and still fascinate people till now, as if it was intended to keep the history alive.
Contents |
Style
The style of the art of ancient Egypt was almost an exact representation of actual life and nature. Adhering to strict rules of representation of three dimensional forms was essential. It was more important to present actual complete and exact images than pretty ones. Religion played an important role in the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Many important works showed gods, goddesses and Pharaohs, who were divine (sons or daughters of the gods). Figures were drawn in certain sizes based on their relative importance in real life. For instance, the Pharaoh was always portrayed as the largest figure in a painting no matter where he stands.
Symbolism
Symbolism played an important role in ancient Egyptian art. The Pharaoh's regalia symbolize his power to maintain order. Symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses were present almost everywhere. Animals and colors were also used as symbols in Egyptian art. The blue and green colors represented the Nile and the life it brings to the land. The yellow color represent god, which also stood for the sun. Ancient Egyptian artists showed a sophisticated knowledge of anatomy, with a close attention to detail.
Architecture
Architects used sun dried and kiln-baked bricks, limestone, sandstone and granite. Ramps and other lifting devices were used in construction work, such as the Pyramids. When the construction was finished, the artists used to decorate from the top down. Decorating massive granite structures was done through hieroglyphic and pictorial carvings.
Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, which resulted in building some extraordinary structures and burial monuments to house the mummies. Some of these constructions are massive and finely decorated, while others are relatively small.
Papyrus
The origin of the word paper gets its name from papyrus; a plant grows along the bank of the river Nile. The papyrus sheets were used for writing about different aspects of life in Ancient Egypt. Along with its writing purpose, the papyrus was used for building chairs, tables, boxes, sandals and other subjects. The quality of papyrus sheets differed. The most expensive and finest were used for literary and religious work.
Sculpture
Massive and truly beautiful statues were built to depict the ancient Egyptian gods, goddesses and the divine kings and queens. By building these statues, it was meant to give the eternal life to the kings and queens. During building these statues, certain rules were followed. The male statues were usually darker than the female ones. If the statues were to show the king seated, hands were to be placed on the knees. Specific and strict rules were followed over three thousand years with very little changes over time.
Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphic is the alphabet used by the Ancient Egyptians for nearly 3500 years. Understanding the hieroglyphic script was decrypted by the French Egyptologist Champollion. Hieroglyphic is a mixture of pictures and symbols. Some of the symbols represent one meaning when used alone, and some symbols were used in a combination. Hieroglyphic was used to decorate many works of art.
Paintings
Ancient Egyptian paintings survived for thousands of years because of Egypt's dry climate. Some paintings found in tombs showed activities that were undertaken by the deceased during his earthly life, and wished to continue doing for eternity. The creation of paintings was mainly to make the afterlife a pleasant place.