detail from: KRK Art dizajn

ART RECOGNITION (2)

SIMO JELAČA, Ph.D.

EGYPTIAN ART

Among the Mediterranean civilizations, Egyptian art lasted the longest. It developed over a period of three millennia. It is divided into six periods, classified by pharaonic dynasties. The first period is the Old Kingdom (3100-2181 BC), from the first to the sixth dynasty, from the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. This is followed by the period (2181-2136 BC), from the seventh to the tenth dynasty, filled with civil wars, which ends with the creation of the Middle Kingdom (2133-1786 BC), the period of the eleventh and twelfth dynasties. In the second transitional period (1786-1567 BC), from the Thirteenth to the Seventeenth Dynasty. With the reunification of Egypt, the beginning of the New Kingdom (1567-1088 BC), the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties, the time of the greatest splendor and power of Egyptian civilization. With the Twenty-first Dynasty, a decline began, the Late Period, which lasted until the occupation of Rome (30 BC). During this long period, the civilizations of other peoples had no influence on Egyptian art. On the contrary, Rome adopted Egyptian costume and customs. The ruler of Egypt was treated as if he were a living God. The artist was treated as a craftsman, not a creator, while glory was attributed to the king who commissioned them. Hence, Egyptian art is anonymous.

Architecture

Magnificent funerary temples were built for the pharaohs, whom the Egyptians considered gods. They were built in the form of pyramids. The Pyramid of Djoser (c. 2650 BC) is the first building of its kind. The most significant architectural achievement of the Old Kingdom is the pyramid described in the Bible as the “Egyptian granary” and was a symbol of the Sun. The classical pyramid has a square base and flat walls, covered with white limestone. Anhotep, the builder of the Pyramid of Djoser in the Sahara, is considered a famous pyramid builder (Third Dynasty). The most famous pyramids are those of Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure, built between 2600 and 2500 BC. The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari is a magnificent building that fits into its surroundings. The characteristic hall is decorated with columns supporting a beamed ceiling. The Khran, as an independent building, is the main achievement of the Middle and New Kingdoms. Later, during the Christian era, the construction of temples was abandoned. The “plant columns” in the temple of Ramses II in Karnak were built in the shape of a lotus. In the architecture of the new era, figures of kings and gods were often placed. The rock temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari in Abu Simbel were dug 60 m into the rock. At the time of the equinox, the Sun reached the farthest end of the temple. The great temple in Luxor, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was the work of Ameriophis III. The temple in the Deir el-Bahari valley, dedicated to Mentuhotep I, the ruler of the 12th dynasty, and Queen Hatshepsut from the 18th dynasty, the only woman who ruled Egypt indefinitely as a pharaoh, has a different shape. Two other temples, carved into the rock near Abu Simbel, dedicated to Ramses II and Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, are 32 m high. Inside the hill is a hall with pilasters carved into it. The architecture from the time of Pharaoh Amenophis IV (18th dynasty) is particularly noteworthy. Since there was not enough wood for fires, the bricks were not baked, and these houses fell into disrepair over time. While the houses of the people had only three rooms, the houses of the village elders were as large as 60x45 m. The imperial palaces of the New Kingdom are particularly characteristic.

Sculpture

Egyptian sculpture is one of the greatest achievements of human civilization. The authors did not sign their works, so few of them are known. Thutmose and Jutius are known. The main sculptors Amenophis and Jutius served the widow of Amenophis III. Their sculptures were on tombstones. The monumental figure of Zoser, the pharaoh of the third dynasty in Saqqara, is the most famous, and the most famous is the figure of the Sphinx in Giza, of Pharaoh Kefen. The statue of Mykerinus is considered a masterpiece. Egyptian statues are now found, in addition to Cairo, in many world museums. One of the rare copper figures is the figure of Pius I, which is found in Hierakonopolis. At the end of the sixth dynasty, Egypt entered a dark period of civil wars, so there are few sculptural works from that time. Alabaster works predominate. The twelfth dynasty saw the end of the presentation of dignity to pharaohs and gods. During the Middle Kingdom, figures were made of wood, and were less often painted. There is a figure of a royal architect that is one of the most successful examples of art. These statues, from the eighteenth dynasty, are from a period in which artists tended towards realism. During the time of Tutankhamun, art officially returned to earlier aesthetic canons. This phase is characterized by the colossal proportions of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, which were carved into the rocks. From the twenty-first dynasty, over the next thousand years, Egyptian sculpture flourished. Portraits of kings and priests are significant from this period.

Painting

As in all ancient civilizations, painting in Egypt began with the decoration of ceramics, reliefs were decorated with paints, and with signatures. Painting began in the Old Kingdom. The female body was always painted in light yellow, and the male in red-brown. The background was always white. The faces were painted in profile. The author wrote the inscription, and the priest checked. Field work and fishing were painted in the tombs. Egyptian painting reached its peak during the reign of Amenhotep III, establishing a precise aesthetic based on the classics. During the time of Tutankhamun, painting returned to academic forms, with countless objects from everyday life. Artistic value was retained only on wooden sarcophagi. In more recent painting, the names of artists and even their families are known. The most famous were the remaining craftsmen from the village of Deir-e-Medina, painters of the New Kingdom. During the time of Ramses II, the painter Ray and his sons Parahote, Paremheb and Hebra were known. Hebra had six sons, and they all continued the same craft.

Applied art

The Egyptians lived for the sake of bliss in the other world, more than in this earthly one. All the objects they used during life were taken with death to the tombs. Hence, ceramics, jewelry, furniture, and often objects made of stone and alabaster were preserved. Vases were made in the Old Kingdom. Objects were sandblasted to a high shine, such as mirrors, furniture and jewelry found in the tomb of Hotepheres, the mother of Pharaoh Cheops. During the twenty-second dynasty, jewelry was made using a technique from Asia Minor, mirrors made of polished bronze, with gold inserts. The crown of Princess Sat-Hator-Yunit, made of a gold band, decorated with precious stones, was found. A new type of art developed in the Middle Kingdom, ceramics with a glass coating, like enamel, turquoise - blue. The furniture was decorated and had special designs. And later, as time passed, many homes had special furniture. Low tables and caskets, ceramics and increasingly small figures, blue and green, often with inscriptions, for the deceased were popular.

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