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The effect of geography on the earliest civilizations
Developments of art
Examine the impact of Egyptian civilization on the world
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This discourse revolves around the development of art and architecture with reference to Egypt. It endeavours to bring out various phases in the development of art and architecture in Egypt. Besides, it describes how different personalities, events and themes, over time, influenced art and architecture. Not only are the progressive changes leading up to modern-day art and architecture discussed, but also the geographical, social, cultural and political factors which affect art and architecture. It is important to note that Egypt has among the oldest history in world’s civilization. It is considered to be a pillar of intellectualism, politics, arts and archicture. Egyptian history has endured the destructive force of time through the ages and has permeated into major spheres of contemporary society (Moffett, Fazio, and Wodehouse 36). Consequently, its influence on modern world’s ecomomy, politics, intellectualism, art and architecture cannot be over emphasized. In other words, Egypt can be termed as the founding father of a majority of the systems in the world. However, there has been a continual improvement, change and modification of the systems originally established in Egypt. As such, this paper traces back to the distant origins of art and architecture in Egypt and elucidates the progressive changes leading to present-day practices in art and architecture. Egypt was initially divided into two independent regions, North Egypt and South Egypt, each under a different ruler. Special hats were made and worn by the rulers as a mark of authority. At around 3000BC, Narmer, the king to the southern region, rallied his army ledit in a conquest of the northern region (Moffett, Fazio, and Wodehouse 54; Dorman 7). This marked the unific... ... middle of paper ... ...history. Works cited Bell, Charlotte. "A timeless culture: Egyptian architecture and decorative arts." (2005): 01-40. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. . Bell, Edward. The Architecture of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 1. London: Chiswick Press, 1915. 33-75. 1 vols. Contemporary Architecture of Egypt: Reflection on architecture and Urbanism of the nineties. Vol. 1. Lebanon: n.p., 1999. 1 vols. http://archnet.org/system/publications/contents/2604/original/DPC0036.pdf?. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. Dorman, Peter F. "Egyptian Art and Architecture." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1-12., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. . Moffett, Marian, Michael Fazio and Lawrence Wodehouse. A World History of Architecture. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004. 45-76
The Ancient Egyptian sculpture, “Statue of Nykara and His Family”, was sculpted during the late fifth dynasty. The sculpture is a depiction of Nykara, his wife, Nubkau, and son, Ankhma-Re. The statue is in poor condition with pieces of limestone missing and chips on the three subject’s faces and bodies. The painted limestone shows the conventional colors for the male and female subjects. There is a clear discoloration among Nykara and his son’s bodies. The brownish red color they once were has eroded to a light yellowish color, which resembles the purposeful color of Nykara’s wife. The hieroglyphs on Nykara’s seat insinuate that the sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front view. This is also evident by the way the three subjects are facing forward in frontal view. There are hieroglyphs on both the chair and base of the statue near Nykara’s wife and son’s feet.
The statue of King Menkaure and his Queen exhibits with clarity the Egyptian devotion of art to a cannon of proportions. Its strictly frontal view point, the rigid poses of the figures, and a faithful accordance to rules and established customs can be interpreted as manifesting the nature of the Pharaoh’s authority over his subjects while at the same time exemplifying the highly regulated, hierarchical structure of ancient Egyptian society. The measured grid of verticals and counterbalancing horizontals, the stiff artificial postures and the overall idealized anatomical shapes of the bodies combined with naturalism is indicative of Egyptian taste for art and a representation of the character of Egyptian culture.
The Egyptian culture was a culture that lasted about 3,000 years and was located near the Nile River. The Nile River provided most of the resources for the Egyptians; therefore, a lot of the artwork was based on representing these bountiful resources. Another major influence of the artwork that was created was the kings and gods that were held at such high standards (Stokstad and Cothren, 50). There is one king in particular that was known in history for his great accomplishments, this king was King Narmer. The Egyptian’s expressed their respect for this king through a palette known as The Palette of Narmer. This piece is one of the firsts of Egyptian times that sets the morals for Egyptian artwork; it was created in the Early Dynastic time period. The Palette of Narmer tells a vast political story of the history of Egypt and the king, King Narmer.
The New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, from 1550 – 1070 BC, was a time of extraordinary wealth, power, and the continuation of the arts in the classic ancient Egyptian style. Characterized by the abstract and impersonal depiction of humans, along with the strength of the Egyptian Empire, the New Kingdom is considered the peak of power and prosperity in ancient Egypt. “Fragmentary lid from the coffin of Wadj-shemsi-su” is a piece created in this time period that was originally part of a portrait located on the top of the king’s coffin. Because the coffin would carry the king’s mummified body in his tomb, the portrait depicts the pharaoh as being prepared for the Underworld, as well as being the ideal body for the spirit of the king to flow through. The objective of the coffin’s portrait is also to convey the power of the kingdom, putting emphasis on the king’s image and the immense wealth that accompanies him. In addition to the piece’s function as a coffin, “Fragmentary lid from the coffin of Wadj-shemsi-su” embodies the strength and wealth of the New Kingdom through the piece’s human face, use of bright colors, and geometric detailing.
Fazio, Michael W., Marian Moffett, and Lawrence Wodehouse. A world history of architecture. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
...ars after Khafre’s reign, the fourth dynasty was just the beginning. Monumental Egypt, although it existed in burial tombs before Khafre’s reign, truly became a traditional pattern in the fourth dynasty. Khafre’s seated ka statues were numerous and perhaps the beginning of the formulaic sculpting of Egyptian ka statues. The King Khafre Seated that is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art now is not only the best ka statue of Khafre in existence, but perhaps one of the best examples of classic Egyptian sculpture from the Old Kingdom.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ‘Egyptian Art’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Art. New Series, Vol. 41, No. 3, Egyptian Art (Winter, 1983-1984): pp. 1+3-56
The Egyptians and the Athenians were two separate civilizations that lived during different times. Many of their art pieces that we find now are similar, but very different at the same time. During this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two statues that are from two different civilizations. We will see how the Athenians took many of the Egyptians techniques into their art, but we will see their unique style as well.
Over the history of man, there have been many prosperous empires that ruled in different parts of the world. Babylon and Egypt are two of these empires that ruled almost 500 years apart, but had one thing in common, great artistic works. Wall paintings such as the Babylonian work Investiture of Zimrilim, and the Egyptian Queen Neferati Making an Offering to Isis are examples of the great works of their times. Both pieces are rich in meaning and background, share many similarities, but differences can be seen in their style due to the time periods.
In conclusion we see how integral a part stelas played within Egypt’s history. Like many other Egyptian art forms, its function and use changed over time but some styles revived themselves throughout the years. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the largest collections of Egyptian art and although crowded on the day I went, it was nice to be able to see some of the things in practice. It was also interesting to note the resourcefulness of the Ancient Egyptians and how art forms reappeared after somewhat of a hiatus.
When walking around a city, you may notice that the architecture and art look similar to other works. Many of these designs have changed along the course of history and time whilst others have not. The designs that many people still see in society and day to day living is from two of the many cultures of the old civilizations, Roman and Islamic. The art and architecture forms from the Islamic and Roman cultures have many comparisons and contrasts between them. They, the Islamic and Roman nations, have both adopted from other cultures and have made their own discoveries in the art and architecture worlds. The Roman and Islamic architecture and art vary drastically from each other and yet have varying comparisons between the two.
Many people are familiar with the pyramids and tombs of Ancient Egypt, yet not as many know about the different types of art created by the lower classes. Documentaries, movies, and television shows rarely mention the more standard art that was created, that didn’t take years of hard labor to create. This art can be compared to the drawings that many people make today, as a hobby to do in their freetime. The only difference is that the Egyptians made art for more practical purposes, and rarely for fun. You would likely find a lot of these pieces in plebian burial sites, or packed away in museum storage. Though they lack the renown of the pyramids and tombs, the different styles and types of art created by the Ancient Egyptians have just as much value as the larger accomplishments, but for different reasons.
The Palette of King Narmer reinforces King Narmer’s authority as the first king of the Early Dynasty showing his power over his people and both Upper and Lower Egypt. It is from the temple of Horus at Hierakonpolis, c. 2950, made from green schist, and is 63.5cm in height (Stokstad and Cothren, 51). It depicts King Narmer and his authority over both Upper and Lower Egypt by showing him wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt and striking at a man who is believed to represent Lower Egypt according to Stokstad and Cothren (51). In this essay I will talk about how the Palette of King Narmer reinforces the authority that King Narmer has over both Upper, and Lower Egypt from the visual art of carved into the palette
The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt which was chosen as the burial ground for a great number of pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom; the New Kingdom in Egypt spans the time between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC which includes the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth dynasties of Egypt (Long 2015: 39). In 1979 an organization known as the Theban Mapping Project was organized to strategically catalogue the present and available archaeological record of the Theban Necropolis in the Valley of the Kings. “The TMP’s goal is to establish a historical and contemporary record of all monuments … and to prepare detailed topographical maps, architectural plans and surveys of their history and condition (Weeks 2000:1).” The book
Wilkinson, Toby A. H.. The rise and fall of ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.