Art of Ancient Egypt

Art of Ancient Egypt

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Ancient Egypt was an early example of a massive civilization spanning 3000 years and became one of the most powerful and iconic civilizations in history. Evidence of human habitation in Egypt stretches back tens of thousands of years. It became the center of civilization around 5000BC. most settlements in the Nile Valley were confined to within a few miles of the river itself because of reliable water sources. Before the empire, the city-states were divided into two regions and named according to the flow of the Nile, Upper Egypt, and Lower Egypt. By around 3100BC the two halves united and became one Egyptian state. Confusingly, if we look at the map, lower Egypt is the delta region in the north and upper Egypt refers to the delta region in the south this is because rivers flow downhill, so the river is lower toward its end at the sea and higher closer to its source.

The king

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The term pharaoh which was originally used to refer to the king's palace became a form to address the king himself. They were considered protectors of the people. After the rulers passed away ancient Egyptians believed that they then became gods. To prepare for their journey in the afterlife rulers constructed elaborated tombs and filled them with all the items they would need in the afterlife

The ART 

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Art is an essential aspect of any civilization. Once the basic human needs have been taken care of such as food, shelter, and a religious belief, cultures begin producing artwork. All Egyptian art reflects the ideal world of the gods and to embody the correct relationship between humankind, the king, and the pantheon of the gods so the artwork was imagined and created to provide a use. 
 

Early Dynastic Period Art

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The value of balance expressed as symmetry, infused Egyptian art from the earliest times. Art from this period reaches its height in the work known as The Narmer Palette which was created to celebrate the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer. the story of the great king's victory over enemies and how the god has approved his actions are told Through a series of engravings on a siltstone slab, shaped as a chevron shield. By this time the sculptors had also mastered the art of working in stone to created three-dimensional life-sized statues. The statue of Djoser is among the greatest works of art from this period.
 

Old Kingdom Art

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During this period Egypt was unified as a single state. Old kingdom rulers build the first pyramids, the kings who had them built used them as both tombs and monuments. Building monumental architecture- such as the great pyramid and the sphinx in Giza. This skill would develop during the Old Kingdom of Egypt when a strong central government and economic prosperity combined to allow for monumental works like the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx, and elaborate tomb and temple paintings.

Art in the First Intermediate Period

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The First Intermediate Period has long been characterized as a time of chaos and darkness. The argument from art rests on an interpretation that the First Intermediate Period works were of poor quality and that Egyptian culture was in a kind of free-fall toward anarchy and dissolution because of the absence of monumental building projects. but In reality, the First Intermediate Period of Egypt was a time of cultural change and tremendous growth. The quality of the artwork resulted from a lack of a strong central government and the corresponding absence of state-mandated art.
 

Middle Kingdom art

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The rulers of the Middle Kingdom encouraged the different styles of the districts and did not mandate that all art conforms to the tastes of the nobility. Although there was great reverence for Old Kingdom art and, in many cases, there was an obvious attempt to reflect it, but Middle Kingdom Art is distinctive in the sophistication of the technique.
The Middle Kingdom is usually regarded as the high point of Egyptian culture

Second Intermediate Period/New Kingdom Art

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The art of the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt continued the traditions of the Middle Kingdom but often less effective. The best artists were available and produced high-quality work, but non-royal artists were less skilled. This era, like the first, is also characterized as disorganized and chaotic, but there were many fine works created during this time; they were simply on a smaller scale. Tomb paintings, statuary, temple reliefs, pectorals, headdresses, and other jewelry of high quality continued to be produced. in this period Egyptian history began the restoration of centralized political control. They started establishing trade networks that helped them build the wealth of Egypt that commissioned hundreds of construction projects.
 
The art of the Egyptian Empire is among the greatest of the civilization because of the Egyptian's interest in learning new techniques and styles and incorporating them.

Reference-

Ancient Egypt 101 | National Geographic - YouTube

www.worldhistory.org/article/1077/a-brief-history-of-egyptian-art