Ancient Egyptian Art : Ancient Egypt

Queen Nefertiti, the most powerful woman in Egypt since the Pharaoh Hatshepsut 100 years earlier. She was as influential as she was beautiful, being a partner in power with her king and husband, Akhenaten. Together, the couple co-reigned over Egypt attempting to completely transform Egyptian religion.

George Orwell famously declared »all art is propaganda.« Great works of art, in other words, have a very particular message for an intended audience. This function of art transcends historical periods, as is evident if one takes a closer look at the art of specific eras, such as Ancient Egyptian art. Ancient Egyptian art possessed a very specific propaganda function: to promote the divine origins and authority of the Pharaoh and thus a hierarchical social system.

Art of the Egyptians and Africans express ………………………..In art, style is a characteristic, or a number of characteristics that we can identify as constant, recurring, or coherent.(Art Terminology 1) Artists express their emotions through their art-making, their finished product will reflect that emotion. They might also create a piece of art that makes the viewer create an emotional response. Emotion is any strong agitation of the feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear, etc.(Dictionary 1)

The statue of King Sahure and a Nome god is an interesting piece of Ancient Egyptian art ( c. 2500 BC ) that shows signs of Ancient Egyptian culture and beliefs. The statue is a small relief sculpture, meaning the sculptural elements are attached to the solid background of the sculpture and appears to be emerging from the material. The piece clearly depicts two figures side by side, one standing on the left and one sitting on the right (facing foreward). The purpose of this piece was probably to depict a certain symbolic interaction between the two characters.

The main purpose of this paper is to describe the visual analysis of the artwork. This paper examines an Egyptian half nude portrait art which is taken from Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fig.1). The statue characterized both male and female seated figure with a Braid hair. In this essay, I will present a complete visual description of this artwork (its preservation, costume and iconography), and then I will compare it to another artwork which is chosen from Textbook that is Akhenaten and his Family (Fig. 2).

The cultural artifact that I propose to study is a bust of Queen Nefertiti, who was the Royal Wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. The bust is said to be painted with stucco-coated limestone, created in 1345 B.C by Thutmose who was a talented sculptor. The bust was discovered in 1912 in Thutmose’s workshop by Ludwig Borchardt and his archaeological team. The bust had many owners in Germany throughout the years, however, it is currently on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin. The Nefertiti bust is a cultural phenomenon, especially for ancient Egypt as well as Berlin. Germany had the bust for over a century now and it has been their pride and joy. The argument between Egypt and Germany over the bust has been going on for decades. Egypt believes that the bust belongs to them and that it was taken

(Accomplishment-Nefertiti, 2017) She was patient, stable, and accepted by her people throughout here reign. Many adored her beauty. She had a statue of herself made so people would remember her and always admire her beauty. The sculpture is considered the most plagiarized artwork of ancient Egypt. She was believed to have ruled as Neferneferauaten after the death of the Pharaoh and before the reign of King Tutankhamen. (Abram, 2007) Nefertiti was known by many names such as; Hereditary Princess, Great of Praises, Lady of Grace, Sweet of Love, Lady of the Two Lands, Main King’s Wife, his beloved Great King’s Wife, his beloved Lady of all Women; and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt. (Tyldesley, 2017) To this day, Nefertiti’s body has yet to be discovered.

“Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and Three Daughters,” is from the Amarna period in 18th dynasty ancient Egypt, which was around c. 1353-1335 BCE. This was a time where art in ancient Egypt was vastly different from anything that had come before it, mostly due to Akhenaton himself. The religion of the time was also very different, as it had become a monotheistic religion instead of a polytheistic one, where everyone now worships the life giving god Aton, represented here by the sun who is soaking them in life-giving rays and the ankh placed on the sun representing Aton. Pictured in this work is the Pharaoh Akhenaton and his family, yet it is not the stiff ceremonial

Choose a work of art from the reading in Chapter 1. Discuss how the work is a reflection of the ancient culture that created it. Also, did anything particularly surprise or impress

They are the only two beings depicted with this great prerogative/privilege, suggesting equal association with the divine. This sense of not only equal power, but Nefertiti 's individual political power is especially seen in the uncovered reliefs of Amarna. During their joint reign a new wave of Egyptian art sweeps the country: Amarna art. It begins to emphasise an increasing influence of Nefertiti as a female ruler, now depicted as equal in size and positioning to her husband, rather than to his knee as queens in previous reigns. In many statues, the queen is portrayed in a masculine and regnant position beside the king, where she sits with one foot forward. She is depicted in many reliefs as individually powerful: in scenes at Karnak she is represented as a “warrior-pharoah sphinx”, and in Ay 's tomb she is seen equipped with a sheathed bow, driving her own chariot, a pose traditionally unseen for a female consort. To instil a sense of fear in the observer, she is even depicted on the talatat blocks from Hermopolis as smiting a captive with a scimitar, traditional of a pharaoh, on which John Cooney comments, “If she were a queen regnant, the composition...would be understandable or even suitable, but as queen consort the role is unique and incongruous.” Her distinct blue war crown, or “cap crown” with a gold diadem band and Uraeus answer any doubts as to her identity and advertises her kingly role at court. These scenes undeniably prove Nefertiti 's equal

Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.

The Bust of Queen Nefertiti, which was created in 1340 BC by an unknown artist, is perhaps the most famous depiction of the Queen during her reign. The bust, being held at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, shows an important connection between the artist and the queen herself

The Egyptian city of Amarna was a capital built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten which was abandoned shortly after his death in 1332 BCE. The city of Amarna was where Akhenaten pursued his vision of a society dedicated to the devotion of the power of the sun god, the Aten. It remains the largest accessible living site of Ancient Egypt. It is a key to the history of the religious experiences of Egypt and to a fuller extent the life of an egyptian. There is no other site like it. The website mentions that the site is in danger of encroachment. This sounds very interesting to me and I’d like to see how the life of an Egyptian was at the time. I don’t know much about the Egyptians, but I’d like to learn more

The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it.

Through the years of Egyptian art, many various pieces hold a great deal of significance and beauty to their names. One piece in particular, known as the Bust of Nefertiti, which was crafted by Thutmose, radiates beauty as well as demonstrates a number of characteristics and skills from Egyptian art. This portrait came about during the 18th dynasty around 1350-1335 BCE. The piece shows Nefertiti, who was a queen of Egypt, from the neck up. The Bust of Nefertiti was made to portray Akhenaten's wife as an elegant beauty with a soft facial expression, using curving contour accompanied by a few other methods to display these features.