Difference between revisions 20577478 and 25241312 on enwiki

{{mergewith|Art of Ancient Egypt}}

Because of the highly [[religious]] nature of Ancient Egyptian civilization, many of the great works of [[Ancient Egypt]] depict [[Deity|god]]s, [[goddess]]es, and [[Pharaoh]]s, who were also considered divine. Ancient Egyptian [[art]] is characterized by the idea of order. Clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes and flat areas of color helped to create a sense of order and balance in the art of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines in order to maintain the correct proportions in their work. Political and religious, as well as artistic order, was also maintained in Egyptian art. In order to clearly define the [[social hierarchy]] of a situation, figures were drawn to sizes based not on their distance from the painter's point of view but on relative importance. For instance, the Pharaoh would be drawn as the largest figure in a painting no matter where he was situated, and a greater God would be drawn smaller than a lesser god. 

==Symbolism==

Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbolism, ranging from the Pharaoh's regalia (symbolizing his power to maintain order) to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, was omnipresent in Egyptian art. [[Animal]]s were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art. [[Color]], as well, had extended meaning— Blue and green represented the [[Nile]] and life; yellow stood for the sun god; and red represented power and vitality. The colors in Egyptian artifacts have survived extremely well over the centuries because of Egypt's dry climate. Despite the stilted form caused by a lack of [[Perspective (graphical)|perspective]], ancient Egyptian art is often highly realistic. Ancient Egyptian artists often show a sophisticated knowledge of anatomy and a close attention to detail, especially in their renderings of animals. 

==The Amarna period==
During the [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt]] a Pharaoh by the name of [[Akhenaton]] took the throne and abolished the traditional [[polytheism]]. He formed a [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] religion based on the worship of [[Aten]], a sun god. Artistic change followed political upheaval. A new style of art was introduced that was more naturalistic than the stylized [[frieze]] favored in Egyptian art for the previous 1700 years. After Akhenaton's death, however, Egyptian artists reverted to their old styles.

==External links==

*[http://www.virtual-egyptian-museum.org/About/Story/About.Story-FR.html Senusret Collection]: A well-annotated introduction to the arts of Egypt

[[Category:Art of Ancient Egypt| Art]]
[[Category:Ancient Egypt]]

[[fr:Art de l'Égypte antique#redirect [[Art of Ancient Egypt]]