Valley Ridge Academy PTO
Egyptian Art |
 | Egyptian ArtA lot of what we know about the Ancient Egyptians comes from their art. From the many pieces of art they created we can learn things like what they looked like, what kind of clothes they wore, what jobs they worked, and what they considered important. The civilization of Ancient Egypt ruled the land of the Nile for over 3,000 years. Surprisingly enough, their art changed little during that time. Much of the artwork created by the Ancient Egyptians had to do with their religion. They would fill the tombs of the Pharaohs with paintings and sculptures. Most of this artwork was there to help the Pharaohs in the afterlife. Temples were another popular place for art. The temples often held large statues of their gods as well as many paintings on the walls. Paintings In Ancient Egypt the tomb walls of the rich and powerful were often filled with paintings. The paintings were never meant to be seen by human eyes after the tombs were closed. The Egyptians painted the walls and ceilings in the belief that the one who had passed would be able to take all of the images of their life with them and only the deceased and the Egyptian gods would ever see the paintings. Egyptian painters used an art style called “frontalism,” which shoed people in a 2 dimensional perspective. Egyptian artists believed a flat perspective portrayed people as clearly as possible. Painters had to follow clear rules for their artwork. The figures had to be properly proportioned or the gods wouldn’t be pleased. To ensure these sacred design ratios, a draftsman first drew a grid over the work surface. Each object or element in a scene was painted from its most recognizable angle and these were then grouped together to create the whole. This is why images of people show their face, waist, and limbs in profile (looking to the side), but eye and shoulders were seen from head-on. The figures head was always drawn in profile with the eye fully drawn, as if it is peering at you. The chest and shoulders must be seen from head-on, while the hips are in mid-twist. Arms, hands, legs and feet must be clearly shown. Difference in scale was the most commonly used method for showing importance. The larger the scale of the figures, the more important they were. Kings were often shown at the same scale as gods, but both are shown larger than the elite and far larger than the average Egyptian. The paint that the Egyptians used was colored or dyed using minerals that were naturally found in their area. The colors and all of the objects found in tombs were preserved due to the cool dry environment and that’s why we can see them today with such bright tones. Artists would grind the minerals into a fine dust and then mix them with a kind of ‘glue’ made from animals or plants. Each color that the ancient Egyptians had special meaning, significance and symbolism. Colors were often used purely as symbolism, rather tan for realistic accuracy of a subject. • Blue represented the sky, water, the heavens, the ancient flood and both rebirth and creation • Red was the color of fire, anger, life, chaos, victory and hostility. • Yellow represented eternal, imperishable, indestructible • Green was the color of vegetation, growth, joy, fertility, new life and regeneration • White is the color of cleanliness, power, purity, simplicity • Black represented death, the night and the Afterlife • Gold represented royalty, strength and power |
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