1. Egypt Old Kingdom 3100-2185 BC Middle Kingdom 2133-1786 BC
New Kingdom BC
Artist as Magician

2. New Vocabulary Ka
Palatte
Mastaba
Pylon

3. Civilization in Egypt organized earlier, but first dynasties 3000 BC-the start of the old kingdom
Pharaoh was supreme ruler and a god- basis of all civilization and of artwork
Knowledge of civilization rest solely in tombs
Preoccupation with the cult of the dead (like Neolithic) but no fear of the spirits of the dead
Each person must provide for the happiness of his afterlife- would reproduce daily life in tombs for their Ka (spirit) to enjoy- blurring of line between life and death
Tomb was like afterlife insurance

4. Utilitarian-used to prepare eye makeup (to protect from sun glare)
King Narmer united upper and lower Egypt- wears the crown of upper Egypt
Palette is first known work of historical art (as opposed to pre-historic) and is not funerary
Symbols include: Papyrus (lower Egypt), falcon (Horus), bare feet, lower figures
Palette of King Narmer, c BC

5. Other Side-
appears barefoot again and marches to inspect decapitated enemies.
Pharoh is strong bull trampling enemy and knocking down a citadel- bulls tail is a part of pharoh garb for 3000 years
Center section is a symbol for unification -used to hold eye makeup
Both panels have a strong sense of order-organized into bands
Artist works for clarity first
Only 3 views- frontal, profile, from above
Strives to show pharaoh in most complete way- but this prevents any feeling of movement

6. Tomb Architecture-relates only to Pharaoh and high officials

7. Step Pyramid of Zoser, 2600 BCE
Built on a Mastaba (Arabic for “bench”), burial chamber deep underground with a shaft linking it to the pyramid, meant to serve as a great monument

8. Step Pyramid of King Zoser, 3rd Dynasty, 2600 BCE
Part of a huge funerary district with temples and other buildings, scenes of religious celebration before and after death-both symbolic and practical
Designed by Imhotep-1st known artist in recorded history

9. Columns
Egyptian architecture began with mud bricks, wood, reeds- Imhotep used cut stone masonry
style was similar to less enduring material- columns are always engaged rather than free-standing- just like bundles of reeds used to look like-
now columns had an expressive purpose rather than just functional-had a profound impact on Greek architecture
tapering fluted columns were designed for harmony and elegance, not just to hold things up
Papyrus columns are linked with lower Egypt

10. Great Pyramids at Giza, 4th Dynasty
Egyptian dead were always buried on the west side of the Nile, where the sun sets
Burial Chamber is in the center of the pyramid rather than underneath
Originally covered in smooth stone, built over the course of 75 years
Funerary district is much more organized than Zoser- surrounded by mastabas and smaller pyramids
Pyramid shape came from cult of the sun god, Re, also from step shape

11. The Great Sphinx, Pyramids at Giza
Next to pyramids (closest to Chefron)-serves as guardian
65 feet tall, carved from one stone
Damaged during Islamic times, but had features of Chefron
End of the period of huge scale monuments

12. Served as a back up in case mummies were destroyed
Made of carved of extremely hard stone called diorite
shows enthroned king with the falcon of the god Horus
Shows the artist’s cubic view of the human figure- created by drawing the front and side view of the figure on the block of stone and then working inward until the views met
figure is immobile and firm- the body is impersonal but the face has some individual traits
Chefron from Giza, 2500 BCE

13. Standing (common pose), both have left foot forward, yet they are not moving forward-
No emotion- outwardly or towards each other
same height, provide a comparison of male and female beauty
Mycerinus and Queen

14. Most poses were seated or standing- another pose added in the 4th century BC-
the scribe pose- cross-legged on the ground- scribe is a lower court official- most scribes were sons of pharaohs.
Alert expression in face, individualized torso- flabby and middle-aged
Serves true for the history of art- the lower the rank of the subject, the more realism is used
Seated Scribe

15. Tomb paintings (non-royal)- landscapes were popular
background is very active
Ti is much larger than others- shows importance
Ti isn’t engaging in activity- he’s watching- also shows importance
Action is going on after death- body does not respond, but the spirit appreciates the activity
Scenes are not nostalgic, they describe life cycle activities
Success of the hunt symbolizes triumph over evil
Ti Watching a Hippo

16. Portrait of Sesostris, 1850 BCE
The Middle Kingdom
Collapse of centralized pharaonic power at the end of the sixth dynasty= Egypt entered political disturbance for 700 years-
power by local overlords who revived rivalry of the north/south
after 12th century, invaded by Hyksos, of Asiatic origin and ruled for 150 years until 1570 BC
Portraiture- faces are troubled rather than serene- have self-awareness- very realistic physically and psychological-
Portrait of Sesostris, 1850 BCE

17. New Kingdom...
500 years following Hyksos- 18th-20th dynasties are a golden age of Egypt-
extended borders into Palestine and Syria –period known as the empire- tremendous trade and architectural projects-centering on new capital, Thebes
divinity of kings now connected with god Amun who was fused with Ra (sun god) and was the ultimate deity- priests of Amun grew in wealth and in power and threatened power of pharaoh-
Amenhotep IV tried to gain more power by declaring the existence of only one god, the sun god Aten- changed his name to Akhenaten, closed the Amun temples, and moved the capital to central Egypt-
his attempts at monotheism did not outlast his reign ( BC)- country became based on priests until until taken over by Greek and Romans
New Kingdom art covers many styles

18. Temple of Hatshepsut, 1480 BCE
Built 1480 BC against rocky cliffs,
Built by Hatshepsut, the first great female ruler-often portrayed as a man in portraits
dedicated to Amun-
linked by ramps and colonnades to a small chamber deep in the rock-
great example of architecture within natural setting- ramps echo shape of cliffs
Temple of Hatshepsut, 1480 BCE

19. Temple at Luxor, 1390 BCE More imperial palaces built
Dedicated to Amun, supreme God
An example of the form of most New Kingdom Palaces
Entrance is a Pylon
Closed off by walls
Faces the Nile
Columns made much heavier than needed and were elaborately carved
Temple at Luxor, 1390 BCE

20. How has style changed?
Mai and his Wife
How has the society’s vision of beauty changed?
More androgynous, weaker-looking-why??
Akhenaten- done 15 years later

21. Queen Nefertete, 1360 BCE A famous example of the Akhenaten Style
New sense of style that unfreezes the immobility of Egyptian art
Was unfinished and found in the sculptor’s studio
Queen Nefertete, 1360 BCE

22. Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his tomb!!
Style and religion returned to tradition-
Tutankhamen was Akhenaten’s son-died at age 18
Three nesting coffins
Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his tomb!!
Coffin of Tutankhamen