Undoubtedly, the art of ancient Egypt is one of the artistic manifestations that has most dominated modern man and of which there is a record since time immemorial. The Egyptian art has a very close relationship with the environment in which it was presented. This type of art is subject to rules so it is very similar in all its representations and tends to be a bit monotonous and homogeneous . Generally, it has a great magical and symbolic meaning, and brings together all the mythical and mysterious characteristics that were present in ancient Egypt and its art history. This ancient civilization was able to form and elaborate a type of perfect architecture, its sculptures and paintings overflow with intrigue and beauty, thus achieving the immediate attention of art lovers. He was closely linked with the pharaoh and religionthat prevailed during the time. For the Egyptians, religion was a fundamental part of their art and culture. Being polytheists (they had many Gods), the Gods were the main foundation of art. The Egyptians were in charge of creating wonderful architectural works, monumental sculptures and paintings full of exuberant beauty, and, in addition, it manages to capture the attention from the moment it unites the historical, the mysterious, the religious and the mythical of the time.
What is Egyptian art?
Egyptian art is one of the most important artistic manifestations in the world. With a close relationship between the magic and mystery that surrounded ancient Egypt, this type of art manages to captivate the attention of the public by uniting the historical, the mystery, the religious and mythical part of the time. Its perfect architecture overflows with intrigue and beauty, capturing the attention of lovers of art and history.
Characteristics of Egyptian Art
Some of the most outstanding characteristics of Egyptian art are the following:
- It was an art created exclusively for the Pharaoh , the state and religion . The largest figures represented the importance of the characters they were representing.
- Egyptian art tried at all times to transmit all its messages in a simple and understandable way. His sculptures were also devoid of expressions and were primarily a representation of rigidity.
- It was full of anti naturalism since it did not want to represent reality.
- It was an art that sought perfection and symmetry in all its aspects.
- They preferred to work in stone over any other material.
- Its architecture was for spiritual purposes and mainly highlighted the preeminence of the pharaoh and the Egyptian pantheon.
- As for the colors used were flat tones , the Egyptians were responsible for using uniform colors that had a symbolic character.
Egyptian Sculpture
This type of sculpture is mainly focused on the funerary aspects of the Egyptian people . Most of the sculptures that have been found by scientists have been found in pharaonic tombs, some of them are even an authentic portrait of their deceased. This type of sculpture does not present any type of sentimental expression on its features or any type of movement. They were sculptures designed to be admired head-on and were usually side by side continuously. Depending on the size of the sculpture, this was how important it was to the people. Some of them were large, such as the statue of Ramses at Abu Simbel, although you can also find some other small ones, even some with only a few centimeters in height. Some of these small statues have even been found inside the bandages of the mummies, as they considered that they provided extra protection to their dead since they functioned as amulets or protection spells.
Egyptian painting
The painting that developed in Ancient Egypt was based mainly on the representation of funeral and religious acts . His paintings were made based on natural pigments. They extracted ocher from the ground to create the different colors forming a kind of paste that they then mixed with egg whites and water to be able to apply them directly on the walls and then they placed layers of plaster to offer protection. Colors like white, black, yellow, and brick red were common to see, as were various shades of green, yellow, and malachite. The paintings they made were used mainly to put decorations on the walls of their temples and especially on their tombs, they also used it to write and represent ideas about daddies. Among the techniques used by the Egyptians we can mention fresco painting, which they obtained from mixtures with different pigments to later be placed on damp walls. They used bright and striking colors, they liked to make different mixtures of colors in each scene they wanted to represent. Among the oldest paintings of the Egyptian people we can mention the decorative parietal paintings full of polychrome and uniform colors.