Characteristics Of Egyptian Art And Architecture

The topic that will be discussed are different styles of art and architecture throughout Ancient Egypt and what motivated the Egyptians to create theses styles. It will address the different styles based on different important periods of time from which they were developed. After a discussion of motivations for Egyptian art, in the correct historical order, this paper will discuss the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the Amarna Period, and finally the New Kingdom. The main two motivations for Egyptian art and architecture were to please the gods that they worshiped and to provide happiness as well as safety for their "ka" in the afterlife. In order to please the gods and ensure their continuing goodwill toward the people, kings built splendid temples and provided priests to maintain them. The deepest rooms of these temples contained representations of the gods in various forms some were human, other animals, and some combinations of the two. The well-known pyramids of Egypt were erected to honor the gods. The angles sides may have been meant to represent the slanting rays of the sun and writings on the walls tell of past kings ascending those rays to join the sun god. 1

Egyptians preserved the bodies of the dead with care and placed them in burial chambers filled with sculpted body substitutes and all the supplies and furnishings the ka might need in the afterlife. To provide the ka with the most pleasant living quarters for eternity, the wealthy often had interior walls and ceilings of their tombs decorated with painting and reliefs. These decorations could carry religious meanings, ceremonial events, or depict everyday life, anything that marked the deceased 's importance. These two important themes are seen throughout the different eras of Ancient Egyptian Art and architecture.