Egypt Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom Artist

Egypt Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom Artist as Magician

New Vocabulary Ka Palatte Mastaba Pylon

• Civilization in Egypt organized earlier, but first organized in 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

• King Narmer united upper and lower Egypt • Palette is first known work of historical art (as opposed to prehistoric) • Symbols include: Papyrus, falcon, bare feet, lower figures Palette of King Narmer, c. 3000 BC

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 does not convey a specific meaning • Both panels have a strong sense of order • 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

Tomb Architecture-relates only to Pharaoh and high officials

Step Pyramid of Zoser, 2600 bc Built on a mastaba, burial chamber deep underground with a shaft linking it to the pyramid, meant to serve as a great monument

Step Pyramid of King Zoser, 3 rd Dynasty, 2600 bc Part of a huge funerary district with temples and other buildings, scenes of religious celebration before and after death

Columns • Egyptian architecture began with mud bricks, wood, reeds. Imhotep (first artist whose name was part of recorded history) 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 • tapering fluted columns were designed for harmony and elegance, not just to hold things up • Papyrus columns are linked with lower Egypt

Great Pyramids at Giza, 4 th Dynasty • Burial Chamber is in the center of the pyramid rather than underneath • Originally covered in smooth stone • Funerary district is much more organized than Zoser- surrounded by mastabas and smaller pyramids

The Great Sphinx, Pyramids at Giza • Next to pyramids (closest to Chefron) • 65 feet tall • Damaged during Islamic times, but had features of Chefron • End of the period of huge scale monuments

Chefron from Giza • 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

• Standing (common pose), both have left foot forward, yet they are not moving forward • same height, provide a comparison of male and female beauty Mycerinus and Queen

Women were always shown as lighter in color than men Rahotep and Queen

Most poses were seated or standing- another pose added in the 4 th century bcthe scribe pose- cross-legged on the ground- scribe is a high court official- most scribes were sons of pharaohs. Alert expression in face, individualized torso- flabby and middle-aged Old kingdom also invented the portrait bust- whether it was an abbreviated statue or had some greater significance(I. E. the Neolithic separating the head from the body) is unknownshows skull and flesh Seated Scribe

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 Ti Watching a Hippo

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 12 th century, invaded by Hyksos, of Asiatic origin and ruled for 150 years until 1570 BC • Portraiture- faces are troubled rather than serene- have selfawareness- very realistic physically and psychological- Portrait of Sesostris

New Kingdom. . . • 500 years following Hyksos- 18 th-20 th dynasties are a golden age of Egypt • extended borders into Palestine and Syria –period known as the empire - tremendous 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 (1365 -1347 BC)country became based on priests until taken over by Greek and Romans • New Kingdom art covers many styles

• Built 1480 BC against rocky cliffs, 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 BC

• 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 Temple at Luxor, 1390 BC • Columns made much heavier than needed

How has style changed? Mai and his Wife How has the society’s vision of beauty changed? Akhenaten- done 10 years later

Owes his fame to the undisturbed contents of his tomb!!