EGYPTIAN ART

AND
ARCHITECTURE
Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and
detailed depiction of human beings and nature, and were
intended to provide company to the deceased in the other
world. Artists endeavored to preserve everything of the
present time as clearly and permanently as possible.
Completion took precedence over style. Some art forms
present an extraordinarily vivid representation of their time
and the life, as the ancient Egyptian life was lived thousand of
years before.
Egyptian art in all forms obeyed one law: the mode of
representing man, nature and the environment remained
almost the same for thousands of years and the most admired
artists were those who replicated most admired styles of the
past.
Architecture
Ancient Egyptian architects used sun-dried and kiln-baked
bricks,fine sandstone, limestone and granite. Architects
carefully planned all their work. The stones had to fit
precisely together. Ramps were used to allow workmen to
move up as the height of the construction grew. When the top
of the structure was completed, the artists decorated from the
top down, removing ramp sand as they went down. Exterior
walls contained only a few small openings. Hieroglyphic and
pictorial carvings in brilliant covers were abundantly used to
decorate the structures, including many motifs, like the
scarab, sacred beetle, the solar disk, and the vulture.

The Book of the Dead written on papyrus

The word paper is derived from "papyrus", a plant which was
cultivated in the Nile delta. Papyrus sheets were derived after
processing the papyrus plant. Some rolls of papyrus
discovered are lengthy, up to 10 meters. The technique for
crafting papyrus was lost over time, but was rediscovered by
an Egyptologist in the 1940s. Papyrus was used by ancient
Egyptians for writing and painting.
Papyrus texts illustrate all dimensions of ancient Egyptian life
and include literary, religious, historical and administrative
documents. The pictorial script used in these texts ultimately
provided the model for two most common alphabets in the
world, the Roman and the Arabic.
Egyptian pot on display at the Louvre

New Kingdom pottery c.1400 BC

Ancient Egyptians used steatite (some varieties were called
soapstone) and carved small pieces of vases, amulets, images
of deities, of animals and several other objects. Ancient
Egyptian artists also discovered the art of covering pottery
with enamel. Covering by enamel was also applied to some
stone works.
Different types of pottery items were deposited in tombs of
the dead. Some such pottery items represented interior parts of
the body, like the heart and the lungs, the liver and smaller
intestines, which were removed before embalming. A large
number of smaller objects in enamel pottery were also
deposited with the dead. It was customary to craft on the walls
of the tombs cones of pottery, about six to ten inches tall, on
which were engraved or impressed legends relating to the
dead occupants of the tombs. These cones usually contained
the names of the deceased, their titles, offices which they
held, and some expressions appropriate to funeral purposes.
A sculpted head of Amenhotep III
The ancient art of Egyptian sculpture evolved to represent the
ancient Egyptian gods, Pharaohs, and the kings and queens, in
physical form. Whether there was real portraiture in Ancient
Egypt or not is still debated. Massive statues were built to
represent gods and famous kings and queens. These statues
were supposed to give eternal life to the kings and queens, and
to enable the subjects to see them in physical forms.
Very strict conventions were followed while crafting statues:
male statues were darker than the female ones; in seated
statues, hands were required to be placed on knees and
specific rules governed appearance of every Egyptian god.
For example, the sky god (Horus) was essentially to be
represented with a falcon’s head, the god of funeral rites
(Anubis) was to be always shown with a jackal’s head.
Artistic works were ranked according to their compliance with
these conventions, and the conventions were followed so
strictly that, over three thousand years, the appearance of
statues changed very little. These conventions were intended
to convey the timeless and non-aging quality of the figure's
ka.[citation needed]
Hieroglyphics are the ancient Egyptian writing system in
which pictures and symbols stand for sounds and words. Jean-
Francois Champollion first decoded hieroglyphics from
Rosetta Stone, which was found in 1799. Hieroglyphics have
more than 700 symbols.
Ancient Egyptian literature, most often written on papyrus,
also contains elements of ancient Egyptian art, as the texts and
connected pictures were recorded on papyrus or on wall
paintings and so on. They date from the Old Kingdom to the
Greco-Roman period.
The subject matter of such literature-related art forms include
hymns to the gods, mythological and magical texts, mortuary
texts. Other subject matters were biographical and historical
texts, scientific premises, including mathematical and medical
texts, wisdom texts dealing with instructive literature, fables
and stories.

Wall painting of Nefertari

Many ancient Egyptian paintings have survived due to Egypt's
extremely dry climate. The paintings were often made with
the intent of making a pleasant afterlife for the deceased. The
themes included journey through the afterworld or protective
deities introducing the deceased to the gods of the underworld
(such as Osiris). Some tomb paintings show activities that the
deceased were involved in when they were alive and wished
to carry on doing for eternity.
In the New Kingdom and later, the Book of the Dead was
buried with the entombed person. It was considered important
for an introduction to the afterlife.
Egyptian paintings are painted in such a way to show a profile
view and a side view of the animal or person. For example,
the painting to the right shows the head from a profile view
and the body from a frontal view. Their main colors were red,
blue, black, gold, and green.

Two daughters of Akhenaten; Nofernoferuaton and

Nofernoferure, c. 1375-1358 BC

Amarna art
The Ancient Egyptian art style known as Amarna art was a
style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period (i.e. during
and just after the reign of Akhenaten in the late Eighteenth
Dynasty), and is noticeably different from more conventional
Egyptian art styles.
It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in
images, with figures having raised heads, many figures
overlapping and many scenes busy and crowded. Also, the
human body is portrayed differently in Amarna style artwork
than Egyptian art on the whole. For instance, many depictions
of Akhenaten's body give him distinctly feminine qualities,
such as large hips, prominent breasts, and a larger stomach
and thighs. This is a divergence from the earlier Egyptian art
which shows men with perfectly chiseled bodies. Faces are
still shown exclusively in profile. Not many buildings from
this period have survived the ravages of later kings, partially
as they were constructed out of standard size blocks, known
as Talatat, which were very easy to remove and reuse.
Temples in Amarna, following the trend, did not follow
traditional Egyptian customs and were open, without ceilings,
and had no closing doors.
In the generation after Akhenaten's death, artists reverted to
their old styles. There were still traces of this period's style in
later art.

Characteristics of Egyptian
Architecture
Due to the scarcity of wood,[1] the two predominant building
materials used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud brick
and stone, mainly limestone, but also sandstone and granite in
considerable quantities.[2] From the Old Kingdom onward,
stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while
bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls
of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in
temple complexes.
Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud collected
from the Nile river. It was placed in molds and left to dry in
the hot sun to harden for use in construction.
Many Egyptian towns have disappeared because they were
situated near the cultivated area of the Nile Valley and were
flooded as the river bed slowly rose during the millennia, or
the mud bricks of which they were built were used by
peasants as fertilizer. Others are inaccessible, new buildings
having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot
climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures.
Examples include the village Deir al-Madinah, the Middle
Kingdom town at Kahun,[3] and the fortresses at Buhen[4] and
Mirgissa. Also, many temples and tombs have survived
because they were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile
flood and were constructed of stone.
Thus, our understanding of ancient Egyptian architecture is
based mainly on religious monuments,[5] massive structures
characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings,
possibly echoing a method of construction used to obtain
stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and
flatly modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings may
have derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use
of the arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all
monumental buildings are post and lintel constructions, with
flat roofs constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the
external walls and the closely spaced columns.
Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers,
were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial frescoes and
carvings painted in brilliant colors.[6] Many motifs of Egyptian
ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab, or sacred
beetle, the solar disk, and the vulture. Other common motifs
include palm leaves, the papyrus plant, and the buds and
flowers of the lotus.[7] Hieroglyphs were inscribed for
decorative purposes as well as to record historic events or
spells. In addition, these pictorial frescoes and carvings allow
us to understand how the Ancient Egyptians lived, statuses,
wars that were fought and their beliefs. This was especially
true when exploring the tombs of Ancient Egyptian officials
in recent years.
Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned with astronomically
significant events, such as solstices and equinoxes, requiring
precise measurements at the moment of the particular event.
Measurements at the most significant temples may have been
ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himself.[8]

The Giza pyramid complex

Main article: The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau,
on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient
monuments is located some 8 kilometres (5 mi) inland into
the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 20
kilometers (12 mi) southwest of Cairo city center. This
Ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Khufu
(also known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of
Cheops), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or
Kephren), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of
Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller
satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, and the Great
Sphinx.
The Pyramids of Giza

The pyramids, which were built in the Fourth Dynasty, testify

to the power of the pharaonic religion and state. The Great
Pyramid, which was probably completed c. 2580 BC, is the
oldest and largest of the pyramids, and is the only surviving
monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The
pyramid of Khafre is believed to have been completed around
2532 BC, at the end of Khafre's reign. The date of
construction of Menkaure's pyramid is unknown, because
Menkaure's reign has not been accurately defined, but it was
probably completed in the 26th century BC.
Popular culture leads people to believe that Pyramids are
highly confusing, with many tunnels within the pyramid to
create confusion for grave robbers. This is not true. The shafts
of pyramids are quite simple, mostly leading directly to the
tomb. However, there are sometimes additional tunnels, but
these were used for the builders to understand how far they
could dig the tomb into the crust of the Earth. Also, it is
popular thought that due to grave robbers, future Kings were
buried in the Valley of the Kings to help keep them hidden.
This is also false, as the Pyramid construction continued for
many Dynasties, just on a smaller scale. Also, grave robbers
did not appear in the Old Kingdom, when the Giza Pyramids
were constructed. Rather, it appeard much later in Egyptian
history. Finally, the pyramid construction was stopped due to
economic factors, not theft.
The temple complex of Karnak is located on the banks of the
River Nile some 2.5 kilometers (1.5 mi) north of Luxor. It
consists of four main parts, the Precinct of Amon-Re, the
Precinct of Montu, the Precinct of Mut and the Temple of
Amenhotep IV (dismantled), as well as a few smaller temples
and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four
main parts, and several avenues of ram-headed sphinxes
connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re and
Luxor Temple.

The hypostyle hall of Karnak Temple

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other

temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it
was developed and used. Construction work began in the 16th
century BC. Approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to the
buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and diversity
not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak
are unique, but the size and number of features is
overwhelming.

The Luxor Temple is a huge ancient Egyptian temple complex

located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today
known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). Construction work on the
temple began during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th
century BC. Horemheb and Tutankhamun added columns,
statues, and friezes – and Akhenaten had earlier obliterated his
father's cartouches and installed a shrine to the Aten – but the
only major expansion effort took place under Ramesses II
some 100 years after the first stones were put in place. Luxor
is thus unique among the main Egyptian temple complexes in
having only two pharaohs leave their mark on its architectural
structure.

Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile

The temple proper begins with the 24 metre (79 ft) high First
Pylon, built by Ramesses II. The pylon was decorated with
scenes of Ramesses's military triumphs (particularly the Battle
of Qadesh); later pharaohs, particularly those of the Nubian
and Ethiopian dynasties, also recorded their victories there.
This main entrance to the temple complex was originally
flanked by six colossal statues of Ramesses – four seated, and
two standing – but only two (both seated) have survived.
Modern visitors can also see a 25 metre (82 ft) tall pink
granite obelisk: this one of a matching pair until 1835, when
the other one was taken to Paris where it now stands in the
centre of the Place de la Concorde.
Through the pylon gateway leads into a peristyle courtyard,
also built by Ramesses II. This area, and the pylon, were built
at an oblique angle to the rest of the temple, presumably to
accommodate the three pre-existing barque shrines located in
the northwest corner. After the peristyle courtyard comes the
processional colonnade built by Amenhotep III – a 100 metre
(328 ft) corridor lined by 14 papyrus-capital columns. Friezes
on the wall describe the stages in the Opet Festival, from
sacrifices at Karnak at the top left, through Amun's arrival at
Luxor at the end of that wall, and concluding with his return
on the opposite side. The decorations were put in place by
Tutankhamun: the boy pharaoh is depicted, but his names
have been replaced with those of Horemheb.
Beyond the colonnade is a peristyle courtyard, which also
dates back to Amenhotep's original construction. The best
preserved columns are on the eastern side, where some traces
of original colour can be seen. The southern side of this
courtyard is made up of a 36-column hypostyle court that
leads into the inner sanctums of the temple, which begin with
a dark chamber not achechamber.

AN INTRODUCTION TO EGYPTIAN ART

 
The earliest Egyptian art is very different from that of
the pyramids and temples of the Pharaonic period. As
early as the eighth millennium BC, the first inhabitants
of the Nile Valley began to make engraved drawings on
the cliffs, particularly in Upper Egypt and Nubia. They
depicted the fundamentals of their lives, from wild
game and hunting scenes in the earlier times to river
boats and herds of cattle in the early Neolithic period.
The art of the Predynastic period has survived mainly in
the form of small carved stone and ivory grave goods,
together with pottery vessels, placed alongside the
deceased in simple pit burials. The small votive figures
of people and animals include many female statuettes
made of pottery and ivory, whose exaggerated sexual
characteristics suggest that they probably related to
early fertility cults.
 

Some of the painted scenes on pottery vessels

continue, during the Predynastic period, to reflect the
prehistoric rock-carvings, while others begin to display
the styles and preoccupations of the Dynastic period. In
the final stages of the Predynastic period, a range of
unusual ceremonial artifacts, including maces, palettes
and ivory handled flint knives, began to play an
important role in the emerging religious ritual and social
hierarchy. Many of the more elaborate mace heads and
palettes, such as those of the kings named Scorpion
and Narmer, were discovered in a deposit of the temple
at Hierakonpolis, and though the archaeological
circumstances of their discovery are poorly
documented, they were apparently meant as votive
offerings. Their carved decoration appears to
summarize the important events of the year in which
they were offered to the god. However, it is unclear
whether any of the scenes depicting historical events
are real, or simply generalized representations of myth
and ritual. In fact, this would be a problem with
Egyptian art throughout the ages.
 

 
A number of references on ancient Egypt insinuate that
the Egyptians had no concept of the term, art. Indeed,
we know of no word from the ancient Egyptian
language that exactly conforms to our abstract use of
the word. They did have words for their creations that
we today regard as examples of Egyptian art, such as
statues, stelas and tombs, but we have no reason to
believe that these words necessarily included an
aesthetic dimension in their meaning.
 

 
Though the ancient Egyptians built and decorated their
monuments, and cut their statues first and foremost for
religious functionality, this does not mean that the
Egyptians were not aware of and did not aim for an
aesthetic content. To represent was, in a way, to
create, and Egyptian representation in both two and
three dimensions was meant to create images that
would function as a meaningful part of the cult of the
gods and the dead.
 
Statues were objects in which deities could manifest
themselves, while images of the dead ensured their
survival in the next world and formed a point of contact
between this and the next domains, where the
deceased could receive the offerings of the living.
Depictions of temple cult ceremonies ensured their
enactment for all time, and portrayals of offering goods
meant that these items would be available in the next
world. Furthermore, images of protective deities found
in houses, on furniture and made into amulets created
a powerful shield against the malign forces of the
universe.