Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt

1. Egypt Old Kingdom 3100-2185 BC Middle Kingdom 2133-1786 BC New Kingdom 1580-1085 BC Artist as Magician

2. New Vocabulary Ka Palatte Mastaba Pylon

3. Civilization in Egypt organized earlier, but first dynasties 3000 BC-the start of the old kingdom • Pharaoh was supreme ruler and a god- basis of all civilization and of artwork • Knowledge of civilization rest solely in tombs • Preoccupation with the cult of the dead (like Neolithic) but no fear of the spirits of the dead • Each person must provide for the happiness of his afterlife- would reproduce daily life in tombs for their Ka (spirit) to enjoy- blurring of line between life and death • Tomb was like afterlife insurance

4. Utilitarian-used to prepare eye makeup (to protect from sun glare) • King Narmer united upper and lower Egypt- wears the crown of upper Egypt • Palette is first known work of historical art (as opposed to pre-historic) and is not funerary • Symbols include: Papyrus (lower Egypt), falcon (Horus), bare feet, lower figures Palette of King Narmer, c. 3000 BC

5. Other Side- • appears barefoot again and marches to inspect decapitated enemies. • Pharoh is strong bull trampling enemy and knocking down a citadel- bulls tail is a part of pharoh garb for 3000 years • Center section is a symbol for unification -used to hold eye makeup • Both panels have a strong sense of order-organized into bands • Artist works for clarity first • Only 3 views- frontal, profile, from above • Strives to show pharaoh in most complete way- but this prevents any feeling of movement

6. Tomb Architecture-relates only to Pharaoh and high officials

7. Step Pyramid of Zoser, 2600 bc Built on a Mastaba (Arabic for “bench”), burial chamber deep underground with a shaft linking it to the pyramid, meant to serve as a great monument

8. Step Pyramid of King Zoser, 3rd Dynasty, 2600 BC • Part of a huge funerary district with temples and other buildings, scenes of religious celebration before and after death-both symbolic and practical • Designed by Imhotep-1st known artist in recorded history

9. Columns • Egyptian architecture began with mud bricks, wood, reeds- Imhotep used cut stone masonry • style was similar to less enduring material- columns are always engaged rather than free-standing- just like bundles of reeds used to look like- • now columns had an expressive purpose rather than just functional-had a profound impact on Greek architecture • tapering fluted columns were designed for harmony and elegance, not just to hold things up • Papyrus columns are linked with lower Egypt

10. Great Pyramids at Giza, 4th Dynasty • Egyptian dead were always buried on the west side of the Nile, where the sun sets • Burial Chamber is in the center of the pyramid rather than underneath • Originally covered in smooth stone, built over the course of 75 years • Funerary district is much more organized than Zoser- surrounded by mastabas and smaller pyramids • Pyramid shape came from cult of the sun god, Re, also from step shape

11. The Great Sphinx, Pyramids at Giza • Next to pyramids (closest to Chefron)-serves as guardian • 65 feet tall, carved from one stone • Damaged during Islamic times, but had features of Chefron • End of the period of huge scale monuments

12. Chefron from Giza, 2500 BC • Served as a back up in case mummies were destroyed • Made of carved of extremely hard stone called diorite • shows enthroned king with the falcon of the god Horus • Shows the artist’s cubic view of the human figure- created by drawing the front and side view of the figure on the block of stone and then working inward until the views met • figure is immobile and firm- the body is impersonal but the face has some individual traits

13. Standing (common pose), both have left foot forward, yet they are not moving forward- • No emotion- outwardly or towards each other • same height, provide a comparison of male and female beauty Mycerinus and Queen

14. Most poses were seated or standing- another pose added in the 4th century BC- • the scribe pose- cross-legged on the ground- scribe is a lower court official- most scribes were sons of pharaohs. • Alert expression in face, individualized torso- flabby and middle-aged • Serves true for the history of art- the lower the rank of the subject, the more realism is used Seated Scribe

15. Tomb paintings (non-royal)- landscapes were popular • background is very active • Ti is much larger than others- shows importance • Ti isn’t engaging in activity- he’s watching- also shows importance • Action is going on after death- body does not respond, but the spirit appreciates the activity • Scenes are not nostalgic, they describe life cycle activities • Success of the hunt symbolizes triumph over evil Ti Watching a Hippo

16. The Middle Kingdom • Collapse of centralized pharaonic power at the end of the sixth dynasty= Egypt entered political disturbance for 700 years- • power by local overlords who revived rivalry of the north/south • after 12th century, invaded by Hyksos, of Asiatic origin and ruled for 150 years until 1570 BC • Portraiture- faces are troubled rather than serene- have self-awareness- very realistic physically and psychological- Portrait of Sesostris, 1850 BC

17. New Kingdom... • 500 years following Hyksos- 18th-20th dynasties are a golden age of Egypt- • extended borders into Palestine and Syria –period known as the empire- tremendous trade and architectural projects-centering on new capital, Thebes • divinity of kings now connected with god Amun who was fused with Ra (sun god) and was the ultimate deity- priests of Amun grew in wealth and in power and threatened power of pharaoh- • Amenhotep IV tried to gain more power by declaring the existence of only one god, the sun god Aten- changed his name to Akhenaten, closed the Amun temples, and moved the capital to central Egypt- • his attempts at monotheism did not outlast his reign (1365-1347 BC)- country became based on priests until until taken over by Greek and Romans • New Kingdom art covers many styles

18. Built 1480 BC against rocky cliffs, • Built by Hatshepsut, the first great female ruler-often portrayed as a man in portraits • dedicated to Amun- • linked by ramps and colonnades to a small chamber deep in the rock- • great example of architecture within natural setting- ramps echo shape of cliffs Temple of Hatshepsut, 1480 BC

19. More imperial palaces built • Dedicated to Amun, supreme God • An example of the form of most New Kingdom Palaces • Entrance is a Pylon • Closed off by walls • Faces the Nile • Columns made much heavier than needed and were elaborately carved Temple at Luxor, 1390 BC

20. How has style changed? Mai and his Wife • How has the society’s vision of beauty changed? • More androgynous, weaker-looking-why?? Akhenaten- done 15 years later

21. A famous example of the Akhenaten Style • New sense of style that unfreezes the immobility of Egyptian art • Was unfinished and found in the sculptor’s studio Queen Nofretete, 1360 BC

22. Style and religion returned to tradition- • Tutankhamen was Akhenaten’s son-died at age 18 • Three nesting coffins Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his tomb!! Coffin of Tutankhamen