Egypt power point

Egypt Lecture Notes

The art/culture of ancient Egypt was her most momentous contribution to the world. In this beginning of history is found a quite vigorous and matured civilization that developed out of prehistoric eras. Here were constructed colossal engineering works in majestic buildings, designed according to the most ingenious and honest aesthetic standards. Few other people's ancient or modern have conceived a structure of such a vast scale so grandiose and so awe-inspiring. Egypt developed its own art independent of preceding foreign cultures and it reflected very uniquely and characteristically its very own people. It's truly one of the greatest, most powerful and yet most refined cultures in history. Geographically situated in the Northeast corner of Africa along the Nile River this stretch of territory is approximately 30 miles wide and 800 miles long. Egyptian civilization was completely dependent upon the river Nile for its vegetation and subsistence. Bordered by deserts and the sea, Egypt was inaccessible to invading peoples from other areas.  This actually served as protection for the people and protection of their continuous actions. The climate of the valley of the Nile was desert like little rainfall blue skies and the air and weather preserved their monuments. Natural to the area are large quantities of hard and durable stone such as granite, basalt, and diorite. Also available, limestone. Lumbar or timber was in low supply because after all it is an arid desert. There were palm trees for structural purposes and papyrus was also used for structural purposes. The acacia tree and sycamore fig tree were used to some extent but were mostly imported those trees were imported from Syria believes in the branches. The leaves and branches of these trees and the wildflowers from the banks of the Nile River became the principal inspiration for ornamental design.

Religion was important to every inhabitant of Egypt. They believed that life on earth was temporary and that one's duty, while here on earth, was to prepare for an eternal existence in the hereafter. In fact the Egyptians were the first to claim that the soul, human soul, was immortal. They believed that the soul would return to human body form after 3000 years.

Their religious beliefs explain the existence of the pyramids and mastaba tombs which were constructed with the idea that they would exist for eternity. Egyptians of rank were buried surrounded by everything they would need in the afterlife. Their mummified bodies were surrounded with household goods and clothing, as well as food and even mummified animals that they would take with them into the afterlife. In 1922 the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 provided a very complete knowledge of daily life of the royal families.

Egyptian culture was so firmly established that, in the few foreign invasions that did occur during a long history, the culture of the conquerors was always completely submerged. Even Alexander the great in the fourth century BC was politically and socially snubbed by the Egyptians and forced to found his own city, Alexandria.

The Egyptians were mighty navigators and sent their ships to all the ports of the Mediterranean Sea. The early tribes of Greece as well as the Spanish and the Italians felt the influence of Egyptian traders, and the Egyptian motifs and trends are to be seen in their early arts/cultures.

The oldest and grandest existing examples of Egyptian architecture are the pyramids of Giza which are located near Cairo. In fact today they are pretty much surrounded by Cairo. Built about 3700 BC their purpose was to serve religion not architecture. They were the tombs of the kings of the early dynasties and most likely therefore was probably inspired by prehistoric burial mounds. There is still speculation today of exactly how their engineering methods were employed. Quite a bit of the granite that they used was quarried more than 700 miles away. It remains a topic of interest on just how the moved the many many times of granite to their place of location.

The character of the Egyptian buildings consists of layer of large palaces temples and tombs. Before the development of stone cutting tools structures were built primarily of clay which was fashioned in the sun-dried brick this clay coming from the Nile River. The other type of construction was built of a row of vertical tree trunks that supported wood beams which were in turn covered with branches and clay.

The invention of stone cutting tools allowed the slanting form of the former brick walls to be imitated by chiseled/cutting in granite. The wood support beams and branch covering were replaced with stone beams. This a typical example of the perpetuation of tradition in Egyptian design. With the use of granite, the strongest of stones, the walls could have been carried to great heights at the same thickness. Stone pillars or columns were substituted for tree trunks. The stone supports found were either round or polygonal. Very sturdy in appearance and were carved to imitate a cluster of papyrus reeds or palm tree trunks that in wooden construction had been tied together for greater strength. This treatment produced an effect of vertical convex ribs which was the prototype of the ‘flutings’ or grooves cut in later columns. Branches at the top of the tree were also frequently conventionalized in the stone column, forming sn ornamental feature, bell-shaped in appearance and known as a campaniform capital. Other capitals were inspired from palm branches, from single or clustered lotus buds, and from the curling leaves of the papyrus. Granite was used for the exterior walls of buildings. Because of the primitive nature of the tools that were available, simple forms and few moldings were used in Egyptian architecture engine decoration. The top of walls were usually crowned with a hollow rule molding concave in shape, sometimes known as a bird's beak or cavetto. Limestone, a much softer material, was often used to line the interior walls as it was easier to cut into ornamental patterns.

Rectangular forms and straight lines dominated Egyptian architecture. Massive and solid, providing the effect of perpetuity. Walls characteristics  were excessively thick, and supports were proportionately heavy and sturdy. The Egyptians had little knowledge of the principles of arch construction, so that vaulted ceilings and arched doors or window openings were not use. The columns were spanned by heavy stone beams or lintels that were of enormous size and of great weight, and, due to the material, the length of the span was extremely limited and frequent supports were necessary. Lines of lintels (horizontal beams) were set together close so that stone roof slabs could be in turn placed upon them. In wide rooms, numerous columns (vertical posts) had to be placed in the interior to support the short stone beams. These interior columns were arranged along rows and richly decorated with carving and color many of the rooms appeared to be a forest of columns, as the desire for permanence precluded the use of wooden beams which would have spanned greater distances. This system of column and lintel is known as trabeated construction and is the most characteristic feature of Egyptian design. Many of the temples and palaces were of vast size. In spite of that fact they were considered as temporary abodes, great wealth was lavished upon them, and they were decorated with luxury and splendor. Over the entrance door was carved a welcoming sentence. Courtyards were treated with colorful decorations and awnings provided relief from harsh sun.   

Character of Egyptian wall decoration and ornament: exterior walls were often treated with brilliant color applied to incised wall carvings. These decorations were made by first drawing outline sketches on the wall with charcoal. The next step was chiseling a groove around the outline of each individual motif.  chiseled around the outline of each motif. The figure or pattern was slightly remodeled, but did not project beyond the face of the wall. Next, it was covered in a thin layer of plaster which when still wet was colored a flat tone. The colors were limited in number, and gradations, showing highlights, shades, or shadows, were not indicated. In the interior buildings the walls were often faced with soft limestone slabs that were decorated with colored carvings in low relief. Color was produced from stone/minerals/plants of the area.  

Egyptian murals decorations included representations of actions in the daily life of the individual, allegorical and religious events, and many other scenes that have given historians an accurate and detailed knowledge of Egyptian civilization. In the great Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the interior natural rock walls were covered with brilliant paintings of her activities and hobbies. Other rooms depict with astonishing accuracy the Nile, its boats and barges, the flowers and birds, and the desert, or every kind of wild animal is being hunted. The dancer, the musician, the warrior, the peasant, and the trade worker are represented. Humor and tragedy are shown accompanied with brief sentences, jokes, and catchwords of the period. The purpose of the murals was to tell a story, to record history, or to show various consecutive faces of some event. Usually the whole area of a wall surface was covered with figures, patterns, or hieroglyphs (inscriptions), so that the eye would wander from point to point and finally comprehend the whole story. No central point of interest was placed in the mural composition, and the declaration was intended to accentuate the wall, rather than hide it.

The human figure was usually shown with the face, legs, and the feet in profile, while the shoulders and one eye were drawn as though seen from the front. The principles of perspective drawing ignored in favor of symbolic conventions. Depth was indicated by placing one figure above the other. Important persons were drawn at large scale; the unimportance of slaves and enemies was indicated by drawing them small in size. Women were usually drawn smaller than men. Religious symbolism was attached to most of the ornamental motifs. The sun disk or globe and the vulture with outstretched wings were considered symbols of protection. The sacred beetle or scarab symbolized eternal life. The Lotus bud and flower were extensively used in architecture sculpture and painted ornament; they were symbols of purity, and the serpent was the badge of royalty. Other motifs  originating in Egyptian decoration include the guilloche, palmette, wave pattern, and spiral. 

Egyptian sculpture. The art of sculpture in the round was developed to a high degree of perfection. Portraits in allegorical figures such as the Sphinx and the falcon were produced in great quantities. Figures were usually modeled in a state of repose, symmetrically balanced, so that the best view could be obtained from the front. Much Egyptian sculpture, because of the hardness of the stone from which it was carved, is extremely simple in detail. The surfaces are smooth, and a dignified, majestic effect is obtained by simple, vigorous masses. Many of the stone statues were brightly colored in flat tones. Male figures were usually shown with red faces and females with light yellow skin. Exquisite and accurate copies of animals and bird life were often modeled both in relief and in the round.

Egyptian furniture. Egyptian cabinetmakers and woodworkers developed a high degree of technical ability. The houses of the wealthy were furnished with chairs, stools, tables, and other articles of great beauty, and a Greek historian informs us that “from the earliest dynasty furnishings were of the greatest luxury indicating an extravagant mode of life." Some of the chairs were similar to a modern folding camp stool, while others had elaborately carved legs, backs, and arms. Many of the chairs were very low, which oblige the occupants to sit in a cramped position, but as they had been accustomed to squatting on the floor, this was not considered an inconvenience. The most characteristic feature in the chair and bed designs was the use of a lion or dogleg forms. The hind leg of the animals represented in the rear of the chair and the foreleg in the front of the chair. The feet were carved paws placed on small blocks of wood so that the ornamental portion would stand above the straw matting which covered the floors. Lion, Swan, and duck heads were frequently used to enrich portions of the furniture. Ivory and ebony were used as inlay. Gold ornament in symbolical motifs was also applied to the woodwork. Brightly colored loose cushions were covered in cotton, painted leather, and gold and silver fabric were used for comfort. The Egyptian craftsman thoroughly understood his material. Knowing that wood would warp, twist, split, and shrink, he treated his design and construction so as to render these defects as negligible as possible. Wood was used with proper economy. Comfort was considered in shaping both the seat in the back of the chair to fit the human form.

Egyptian accessories. From the earliest dates the affluent Egyptian home was furnished with beautiful tableware made of pottery, alabaster, bronze, gold, and silver. Linen, constantly washed, was always marked with the owner's name and was kept in baskets and chess. The Egyptians also possessed personal accessories of great beauty made of gold, enamel, precious gems, and other materials, which show how lugs luxurious was the life of the upper classes. Direct evidence of the elaborate character of these articles was given one, in the tomb of the mother of Cheops, builder of the great pyramid, personal objects were discovered that were fashioned of precious metals and jewels, and finished in the most perfect technique. There were gold basins, gold and enamel embossed chess, and gold toilet articles enriched with rare stones. A bed and chair of wood were covered with gold plaques. There was also a great wooden framework for draperies to hang over her throne when her soul returned to her body. The exquisite detail in these pieces shows the perfection of Egyptian Egyptian craftsmanship even at a date previous to the building of the pyramids.

Egyptian art was fundamentally an honest aesthetic expression of the inhabitants of Egypt. The use of materials was always consistent with its nature. Ornament was so designed that it was calculated to increase rather than conceal the vigor and purpose of the structure and to heighten its characteristic beauty and texture. Limited as the craftsman were in variety of materials and tools, and having behind them a traditional conservatism that was unchangeable throughout the centuries, there art productions in every medium were carried to the limit of their possibilities. The Egyptian artist, superbly skillful and imaginative, accomplished the most that they could with the means and knowledge they had; no greater compliment can be paid to any art.

The architectural, furniture and decorative arts contributions of every developing culture were influenced by the long-established Egyptian culture.