The Egyptian Art Period
3000 B.C.E - 332 B.C.E
History Behind Egyptian Art
Egyptian art took place in Egypt. Ancient Egyptian art reached considerable sophistication in painting and sculpture, and was highly stylized and symbolic. Slot of the artwork created by the Ancient Egyptians hand to deal with their religion. They would fill the tombs of the pharaohs with painting and sculptures. Temples were another popular place for art. Temples often held large statues of their gods.
Materials Used For Sculptures and Paintings
While most sculptures were made of stone, wood was sometimes used as an easily carved substitute. Paints were obtained from minerals such as iron ores (red and yellow), copper ores (blue and green), charcoal (black), and limestone (white).
Paintings and Sculptures
Wall Painting of Nefertari
Egyptian paintings are painted in a way to show a profile view and a side view of the animal or person. This painting shows the head from a profile view and the body from a frontal view. This painting is from the early dynastic period.
A Sculpture of Amenhotep III
Statues idealized features of rulers. This sculpture is from the early dynastic period.
The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx is located among the Pyramids of Giza. It is the largest monolith statue in the world. The statue is over 240 feet long and over 60 feet tall. This sculpture is from The Old Kingdom.
Facts About Egyptian Art
- They mostly used the colors blue, black, green, red, and gold in their paintings.
- A lot of Egyptian art depicted the Pharaohs.
- Many of the paintings in Egypt survived the thousands of years because of extremely dry climate.
- Small carved models were often put in tombs. These included slaves, animals, boats, and buildings. It was said they would have them for the afterlife.
- Most of the art in the tombs were stolen by thieves over the years.