Ancient Egyptian art is very interesting because they didn't view art as a method of individual expression and much of their art was never even intended to be seen! The Ancient Egyptians' art was actually meant for their God and Pharaoh figures. A number of their art pieces were meant to be enjoyed by the dead and divine beings that they worshipped. Ancient Egyptian art was mostly created from stone, sometimes involving or entirely being of precious jewels and metals, like gold. Another thing to note about Ancient Egyptian art is that it's surprisingly well done in my opinion for what they had access to in that period.
The Book of the Dead
Copy: The Papyrus of Hunefer
About 1550 BCE to 50 BCE, Egypt
The Book of the Dead was intended as a manual for the dead. This was regularly written and illustrated by scribes for a large sum of currency (estimated to be about half of the common laborer's yearly pay) and was thought to help the dead in the afterlife. The idea was that the book would contain various spells that the dead could use to form and live in the afterlife. Each spell was its own chapter, of which 192 spells are known, but no copy has been found to have all of them. Among the spells were things like attaching the soul to the body, and remembering their name in the afterlife. Egyptians believed that knowing the name of something gave you power over it, so the book also often contained the names of various beings one might encounter in the afterlife, giving one power over them.
The image above comes from the Papyrus of Hunefer. In this illustration, Hunefer's heart is being weighed against the feather of truth, by Anubis. Thoth, the scribe of the gods, writes the results down. If Hunefer's heart is the same weight as the feather, he may proceed into the afterlife. If not, he is consumed by Ammit, the creature that is a combination of crocodile, lion, and hippo. Drawings like these were somewhat common in copies of the book and are even included in the Papyrus of Ani, which is in the best condition a copy of the book has been found in.
I think this is a fascinating work, it features many Ancient Egyptian beliefs wrapped up into one piece. It was abused a bit by scholars and many were written as a template with spaces to just be filled in for the specific person. The Ancient Egyptians held to their beliefs so tightly that the common laborer would pay large sums of currency for the idea that they were helping a relative or friend in the afterlife. I may not have the same beliefs they do, but it's pretty inspiring the connection they had to their beliefs.
Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun
Abu Simbel Village, Egypt
Construction started circa 1264 BCE and lasted about 20 years
This huge temple was constructed for Ramesses II, the most famous Pharaoh in the New Kingdom era during Egypt's most powerful reign. Way off to the side of this temple is a smaller temple dedicated to his wife, Queen Nefertari. This temple was actually moved in the 1960s because the construction of a dam would have caused it to flood. $40 million (worth $300 million in 2017) was spent from 1964 to 1968 to move the temple upwards and away from the Nile. All four of the large statues are Ramesses II, but down by his feet are small statues of his relatives, including his mother, wife, and children. The statue that appears broken was apparently broken in an earthquake not long after the temple was finished, but was left how it was found during the relocation. I find it amazing how powerful Ramesses II was way back around 1250 BCE! Many temples were built by Egyptians during this period in a show of wealth and power. I think it'd certainly be interesting to see in person.
Lintel of Amenemhat I and Deities
Painted around 1981 BCE - 1952 BCE
From The Pyramid Temple of Amenemhat I, Egypt
The Pharaohs of Egypt were rulers, but they were believed to be mediators between men and the gods. Egyptians believed their Pharaohs became divine after death and took the place and powers of their father, Osiris, god of the dead. The Pharaoh then became an all-powerful being that could control nature and destroy entire armies. On this limestone, is a painting of Amenemhat I who is joining the gods as a divine entity in his death. This is a good example of art that was not meant to be seen. The Egyptians started creating art for their dead Pharaohs, then moved on to ordinary citizens. This art shows the strong beliefs that the people had in their Pharaohs after death. The idea that the written word and paintings could help their Pharaoh, as they moved on to become divine, is a great representation of Egyptian culture and how much the Egyptian people believed in their rulers. It's amazing the condition that this piece is in and the detail you can still see on it to this day. It looks like some of the colors have faded, but you can still understand the meaning behind the painting. I think it's pretty amazing how much work was put into each Pharaoh to protect them and help them move on to the afterlife.
In conclusion, Ancient Egyptian art was centered around their religious beliefs and favored their powerful rulers. Their artwork was meant to help protect their decreased rulers and guide them safely through the transition of becoming a deity. I commend their ability to construct such large temples and tombs for their powerful rulers, given the period they lived in with not a lot of modern technology as we see today. I can imagine the great effort it took the slaves to build these monuments and how dangerous it must have been for them. I hope one day I can view these various monuments in person and really take in their vastness.
Works Cited:
- "Ancient Egyptian Art (Article) | Khan Academy". Khan Academy, 2022, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/beginners-guide-egypt/a/egyptian-art.
- "Art Of Ancient Egypt - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_ancient_Egypt.
- "Book Of The Dead | Ancient Egyptian Text". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-the-Dead-ancient-Egyptian-text.
- "Pharaoh | Definition, History, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/pharaoh.
- "Ramesses II - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II.
The art that you chose is incredible. I can't imagine having to create works that ancient Egyptians did even today. The amount of effort it must have taken them and the time is astonishing. I especially liked the first one you chose and how you talked about the story behind it. The meaning behind the heart being lighter than a feather is showing how "good" the person was and if their heart was light, they had very little or no sin, allowing them to go to the afterlife instead of being eaten. I found that story really interesting and hope to give it a read myself.
ReplyDeleteLintel of Amenemhat I is an amazing piece and the details, the colors like you said have lasted hundreds of years and still look great. I have noticed in a lot of their work they have borders around most of their pictures and the borders are amazing. Maybe it's a border, maybe it's a language, either way whatever it is it's beautiful. It reminds me of my beadwork and how they must put this all together in their head before they even touch the piece. Perfect example, Temple of Ramesses must have had to already be inside the artists head before they even started on it, to have something come out that great. Someday I want to bring my family to see the pyramids and travel to places with artifacts.
ReplyDeleteAwesome choices and good job.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThe Egyptian art is amazing to see, I think the history is very interesting. Pyramids and sculptures are ginormous. I like how this artwork tells and story and the value that each sculpture has. It’s incredible the detail in each carving and the size.