Ancient Egyptian Art History and Artists

The art of the Ancient Egyptians is a major source of information about them. We may discover information about them, like their appearance, the kind of clothing they wore, the jobs they had, and the things they valued, from the numerous works of art they produced.

Over three thousand years of similar art

For more than three thousand years, the ancient Egyptian civilisation dominated the Nile region. Surprisingly, there weren’t many changes in their art over that time. For the next 3000 years, the most renowned artists copied the original style of art, which was first employed in 3000 B.C.

Religion and Art

The Ancient Egyptians’ art was heavily influenced by their religion. They would place sculptures and paintings within the Pharaohs’ graves. A large portion of this art was created to aid the Pharaohs in their afterlife. Another well-liked location for art was in temples. Large statues of the gods were frequently present in the temples, along with an abundance of wall murals.

The sculpture of Egypt

The massive statues created by the Egyptians are well known. The Ramses II statues at the Abu Simbel temples and the Great Sphinx of Giza are two examples of this.

The statues of Ramses II are depicted in the image above. Each of them is taller than 60 feet. Over 240 feet long is the Giza Sphinx!

Despite being known for their enormous monuments, the Egyptians also produced more intricate, smaller sculptures. Alabaster, ivory, limestone, basalt, wood that had been gilded with gold, and occasionally even pure gold were among the materials they employed.

An illustration of complex Ancient Egyptian sculpture can be seen above. It is a pharaoh named Tutankhamen’s funeral mask. His facial expression is representative of how all Egyptian pharaohs have appeared throughout history. Semiprecious stones are used to color the collar, and blue glass is used to create the stripes on the headdress. 24 pounds of pure gold make up the remainder of the mask.

Egyptian artwork as well as tomb walls

Ancient Egyptian royalty frequently had murals adorning the walls of their tombs. The purpose of these artworks was to aid the deceased in the afterlife. They frequently featured the deceased entering the afterlife after being buried. They would portray happy afterlife scenes for this person. One painting depicts the hunter who was buried alongside his wife and son.

The image of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramses the Great, in the painting above is taken from a tomb wall.

Relief

A sculpture that is a part of a wall or building is called a relief. They were frequently engraved into the surfaces of Egyptian temples and tombs. Typically, reliefs were painted as well.

Facts Worth Knowing About Ancient Egyptian Art

In their paintings, they primarily used the hues blue, black, red, green, and gold.

Pharaohs were frequently shown in Egyptian art. Because the pharaohs were revered as gods, this was frequently done in a religious context.

Because of the region’s unusually dry climate, many Ancient Egyptian drawings have endured for so many thousands of years.

Sometimes, miniature carvings were placed within tombs. The person might require slaves, animals, boats, and buildings in the afterlife, among other things.

Over thousands of years, robbers have taken the majority of the art that was hidden in tombs.