Characteristics of Egyptian Art
Art was very important to Egyptian culture, it was almost religious
and followed specific rules. Egyptian art emphasized three basic elements engraving, sculptures, and painting. Ancient Egypt art includes its writing script based on pictures, symbols, its precise hieratic style of painting and stone carving. The function of Egyptian art was twofold. First to glorify the gods including the pharaoh and facilitate human passage into the afterlife. Second to promote and preserve the values of the day. Most Egyptian art involved the depiction of many gods and goddesses. The pharaoh as well was look at as a god.
In figure painting the size of the figures were calculated by the
person’s social status. Heads, legs always in profile, eyes and upper body viewed from the front. The rules for sculptures and statues stated that the male statues should be darker than female ones. When seated the person’s hands should be on their knees. Gods as well were depicted by their position in the hierarchy of gods. For example Horus the sky god was always represented with a falcons head and Anubis the god of funeral rites always with a jackals head.
Egyptian artist used six colors in their paintings each color
representing a meaning to them. Red representing power, life, victory, anger, and fire. Green was new life, growth, and fertility. Blue represented creation and rebirth. Yellow symbolized the eternal, such as qualities of the sun and gold. White was purity, typically used as well for religious objects and tools. Black represented death, the underworld, and the night.
Egyptian sculpture were symbolic and for most of Egyptian history
Was not intended to be naturalistic. Sculptures and statues were made from clay, wood, metal, ivory, and stone. Egyptian artist employed registers each with its own base line, could be used to create crowds of people. Those in the lower register were understood to...