I enjoyed studying Ancient Egyptian art the most from the course material this quarter. I have always found Ancient Egyptian art to be intriguing and eye catching. Ancient Egyptian art was both stylized and symbolic. The colors the Egyptians used in their art were used to describe the picture and idea they wanted to get across to the viewer. For example, the color black signified royal fertility of Egypt originating from the Nile River. Therefore, Egyptian art did not always use naturalistic coloring, which to me made the art more interesting and fun to look at. I also liked that Ancient Egyptian art did not fall under much influence from surrounding variations of art forms. Their art was extraordinary and remained unchanging for a long time. The Ancient Egyptian art was also my favorite because they used symbolism as the main aspect of their art. Their symbols included things to signify their gods/goddesses, pharaoh, and animals. The great detail and historical context of the Ancient Egyptian pieces is what sparks my interest. I also loved how much they incorporated mathematics into their architecture and pieces, especially with the pyramids.
The Pyramids of Giza, shown below, were built reflecting religious and symbolic factors, like much of Egyptian art. The pyramids were mathematically constructed with precise ideas on how they should be angled. They had tactics of construction like sliding heavy stones over wet ground or placing them on logs and rolling them into position. I feel that this would be such an intensive work load for a human being. I do not think barely anyone now-a-days could understand the amount of work the people who built the pyramids went through and the hardships they faced along the way. The pyramids were placed to follow the suns path for religious means. To me the pyramids are so amazing, to think people were able to create structures so enormous and perfect. The pyramids really were close to flawless in that every stone is placed correctly. I also think it is interesting how they are created as tombs for pharaohs and rulers. To think someone finds it necessary that they deserve to enslave so many people just to work to build their tomb is mind blowing. But the Egyptians had beliefs about the afterlife that required their resting place to have certain things included, so their beliefs about the afterlife became priority for themselves rather than caring about others fate too and not just their own.
Another piece of Ancient Egyptian art that helps describe why I found this period so interesting was the Khafre statue. This statue shows how well the Egyptians had used mathematical proportions in their art. The statues are life like and three dimensional, (as shown below). This statue is clearly of a ruler because of the muscular build and the dressings on the man. The statue shows how well their sculptors were at art and the great detail is so fun to look at.
Overall, Ancient Egypt was full of fascinating art, and will always be known for that.
I'm glad that you liked seeing the visual details and learning about the historical context. I think Egyptian art is interesting for those same reasons. The Egyptians produced such a unique, identifiable style.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the Egyptian pharaohs seemed to place more concern on their own eternal well-being than worrying about the lives of slaves. Sometimes it's hard to place ourselves in the mindset of ancient Egyptians, especially since our culture has already seen (and is still experiencing) emancipation and a civil rights movement.
I enjoyed teaching you and your classmates this quarter!
-Prof. Bowen
I really like the Egyptian art as well. I think the way they use symbols to identify things are very cool. I also found it very interesting that that long ago they had the ability to make pyramids that were so perfect.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you really enjoyed Egyptian art! I did too, it was fun and interesting. The Egyptians history has always interested me. They seem to have always been on their own influence and found new ways to do things through work and practice.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always fun to read! Good work this quarter, and have a great break!
I'm glad you enjoyed the Ancient egyptian time period. You were obviously intrigued by various pieces from this time. I like the historical aspect of these monuments and art works myself. It's amazing how hard they worked in their time to accomplish so much. Nice response and great use of examples and explanation of the symbolism they used in their art.
ReplyDeleteEgyptian art is the best indeed and you gave good points as to why you liked it. You gave good detail in the influence they didn’t really use to be more unique and represent them better. The pyramids of Giza were my favorite as well and you gave well to point out the measurements and structure layout to get to them up and stay up for so long as of today. As for the statue I don’t see too much mathematical upon their statues but you gave good points as to why they could’ve and most likely were made with a ruler since the muscular shapes are very well placed/put.
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