EgyptOld Kingdom 3100-2185 BCMiddle Kingdom 2133-1786 BCNew Kingdom 1580-1085 BC

Artist as Magician

New Vocabulary

Ka

Palatte

Mastaba

Pylon

•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

•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

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

Tomb Architecture-relates only to Pharaoh and high officials

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

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

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

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

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

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

•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

Seated Scribe

•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

Ti Watching a Hippo

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

Portrait of Sesostris, 1850 BC

•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-

The Middle 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

500 years following Hyksos- 18th-20th dynasties are a 3rd golden age of Egypt- extendedborders into Palestine and Syria –period known as the empire- tremendous architecturalprojects-centering on new capital, Thebesdivinity of kings now connected with god Amun who was fused with Ra (sun god) andwas the ultimate deity- priests of Amun grew in wealth and in power and threatenedpower of pharaoh- Amenhotep IV tried to gain more power by declaring the existence ofonly one god, the sun disk Aten- changed his name to Akhenaten, closed the Amuntemples, and moved the capital to central Egypt- his attempts at monotheism did notoutlast his reign (1365-1347 BC)- country became based on priests until

New Kingdom...

Temple of Hatshepsut, 1480 BC

•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 at Luxor, 1390 BC

•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

Mai and his Wife

Akhenaten- done 15 years later

How has style changed?

How has the society’s vision of beauty changed?•More androgynous, weaker-looking-why??

Queen Nofretete, 1360 BC

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

Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his tomb!!

•Style and religion returned to tradition- •Tutankhamen was Akhenaten’s son-died at age 18•Three nesting coffins

Coffin of Tutankhamen