Understanding Culture Through the Art of Egypt and Greece Essay

The "art for art" remained unknown in ancient Egypt; all creation was a practical purpose: the prosperity and triumph of Egypt, providing the survival of rulers and notables. The beautiful had no value in itself; we would say in modern terms, that the supreme intention was magical action. According to our book (art history by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren): “The architecture is religious or funeral destination; only temples and tombs were built of sustainable materials, although we also know some palaces and fortresses. The statuary, too, funeral (the statue is considered the repository of the soul of the deceased) or divine (the royal statues represent the pharaoh, god on earth or in the hereafter). The reliefs are dependent on strict religious patterns; one painting, especially that found in the tombs of the notables of the New Kingdom, manifest a spontaneity and a certain naturalism, but it was only a substitute art to replace cheaply the painted relief. This liveliness is reflected in the minor arts, and fard for spoons or pots ointments; but the jewels themselves usually hold conventions of religious symbolism”. Although, the step pyramid and sham buildings, funerary complex of djoser would perfectly help to illustrate the image of the art of the ancient Egypt. The Djoser funerary complex, built during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser in Saqqara is located in Egypt. It’s the first of this magnitude and the

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.

According to history there existed two of many important ancient civilizations that left a significant mark in the history of human development that even today leaves modern society in awe of its greatness. In spite of being distant civilizations, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece share similarities and difference in terms of how they practiced religion,political structure, everyday life style, and how they built the monumental architectures that continued to amaze the modern world of today. These comparison and contrast explain their difference in history and their dynasty's long term success. Through the early developmental age these two ancient civilizations contrasted in many ways perhaps due to

When it comes to the Akhenaten's art style, the artistic style during that time made a sudden changeover from the traditional Egyptian style of portraying people with ideal, perfect physiques, to a new and rather jarring style which can be seen in some of the statues that were created during that time. It would seem that the artists were trying to portray people (Akhenaten in particular) with ruthless honesty, to the extent that the images became travesties. Akhenaten was a king and did have a big ego to the people and it really should in some of the art form of states that were created during this time. What I think is very interesting that the Akhenaten created, when it comes to their art is just the picture and certainty of the people that

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 Seated Scribe from the Egyptian era was a sculpture that was important to the people of that time period as well as modern people. It was not significant in politics or religion; however, it was significant due to the fact that it was a sculpture resembled real people of that time period. It is important to remember that sculptures of people during this time period were exaggerated. Emperors were portrayed using unrealistic body features (broad shoulders, 6-pack of abs) instead of having a more natural look similar to the Seated Scribe. I understand the sculptures were made that way to usher in a feeling of power when they were looked upon, but why weren’t there more art work being made that was showing off the natural look of most Egyptians

The way the artisans decorated and painted the tombs of the Pharaohs was also vitally important, as it also helped the pharaoh through his journey in the underworld and thus made it easier for him to achieve eternal life. The workers would decorate the tombs with paintings of the Pharaohs journey through the underworld, they would also paint his life – how loyal he was to his people, how he never sinned and remained holy and pure, how he has abided by every rule (all rules derived from religion). There are no accounts of the workers in Dier el-Medina being punished for disobeying the rules of the foreman (except tomb raiders, who were often strays) simply because they were forced to follow rules by their gods who they believed held their future. The impact of religion on the workers in Dier el-Medina was large, in kept them ‘inline’ and trustworthy.

A ruler or leader has a significant impact in the creation of art in the land that they govern. An example can be seen in Qin Shi Huangdi, who was an emperor in China. During his sovereignty, he ordered the construction of an elaborate tomb as his final resting place. Although we might think decorated casket or something the like, this was something way more extravagant due to their culture. For many years, the Chinese people believed that in afterlife, their ancestors can talk to the gods and help those that are living. The people also believed that they can help their ancestors by burying items that they might need in the afterlife. This is the motivation behind the creation of Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb, which includes an army of terra-cotta soldiers, chariots,

The ancient Christians have always thought art to be representative. The church's attitude towards art was that the goodness was always linked to light and the bad is always dark. There were hardly any independent speculative or analytical inquiries about art as artists then were doing artworks that were based on verses from the bible because the people could not read. Art was never discussed as art. Artworks then were always made based on religion and theology. It was the Christians' main concern with converting the public by using images to tell the stories about the life and accomplishment of Jesus

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.

The main idea of Stolen Legacy is to prove that the ancient Egyptian teachings and education was taught to certain historical figures, was then brought to Athens and taught there and then passed of as Greek philosophy, basically Stolen. Men that went down in history as "great philosophers" or " great thinkers" were the ones that made it seem as if they were creating this knowledge. Men such as Socrates, who was from Athens; Plato, also from Athens; and even Aristotle who was from Greece but was forced to leave when Socrates was sentenced to death.

Within the society of ancient Egypt, having a good Pharaoh was considered to be absolutely vital for the functioning of the country; and it was for this reason that Egypt had been ruled by these supposedly half gods half humans for over three thousand years. The position of the Pharaoh was auspiciously passed down through the royal family and traditionally to the eldest son when his father died. Hatshepsut was a significant individual who thwarted this convention by depicting herself as a male so that after her husband/brother Thutmosis II died suddenly she could become Pharaoh instead of the rightful successor, who was Thutmosis III. Because of the male-governed society of which she had lived in, Hatshepsut had to indeed subvert the

Egyptian contributions were critical to the development of Greek culture. The Nile Valley civilization is the basis of philosophy, science, and medicine that is often times solely credited to the Greeks.

During early dynasty Egypt period, Egypt’s kings were reverted as gods in human form. So, Egyptian sculptor created statues of their kings and queens. After creating the statue

There are many civilizations in history that contributed to the rise of modern day society. All of the things that we see today have been in some way shape or form improved upon to stand the test of time. From the structures of buildings, religion and pyramids, to the influence of art, it all played a part. The ancient civilization of the Egyptians was one of the most significant and well known cultures to ever have existed and technology wise, they were light years ahead.