ART OF THE
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
GROUP 2
JASMIN BUCAYU
MHANDY KHATE MAGORA
ROCCINI PIÑON
VINCE MACANIG
CHRISTIAN WINRIGHT
KARYLLE LACAMBRA
INTRODUCTION
A major contributor to late Neolithic art, Egyptian culture is probably the best known form of ancient
art in the Mediterranean basin, before the advent of Greek civilization. Ancient Egyptian architecture,
for example, is world famous for the extraordinary Egyptian Pyramids, while other features unique to
the art of Ancient Egypt include its writing script based on pictures and symbols (hieroglyphics), and its
meticulous hieratic style of painting and stone carving. Egyptian civilization was shaped by the
country's geography and the period's political, social, and religious customs. Protected by its desert
borders and sustained by the waters of the Nile, Egyptian arts and crafts developed largely unhindered
(by external invasion or internal strife) over many centuries. The Pharaoh (originally meaning 'palace')
was worshipped as a divine ruler (supposedly the incarnation of the god Horus), but typically
maintained firm control through a strict bureaucratic hierarchy, whose members were often appointed
on merit.
BRIEF INFO ON THE ANCIENT EGYPT
Egypt was a vast kingdom of the ancient world. It was unified around 3100 B.C.E. and lasted as a
leading economic and cultural influence throughout North Africa and parts of the Levant until it was
conquered by the Macedonians in 332 B.C.E.
The ancient Egyptians were a polytheistic people who believed that gods and goddesses controlled the
forces of the human, natural, and supernatural world. In traditional Egyptian belief, the fundamental
governing principle was the abstract concept of maat (represented by the goddess Maat) which is often
translated as truth, justice, and cosmic order. To maintain maat, the living had to constantly worship
and make sacrifices to the gods to pacify the deities and spirits of the afterlife.
LETS GET STARTED
A civilization cannot exist in the absence of art. Cultures start creating art once the most basic
human needs, such as food, shelter, some kind of community law, and a religious belief, have
been met. This method began in Egypt during the Predynastic Period through the carving of
creatures, people, and supernatural beings on rock walls (6000–3150 BCE). These early
depictions, albeit lacking in comparison to later works, nonetheless capture a crucial feature of
Egyptian cultural consciousness: balance.
Egyptian Civilization was one of the early civilizations that have greatly contributed in
the development of art, religion, science, and technology of the world. Egyptian art is
primarily religious in nature.
The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife
place pleasant. With this in mind, themes include journey to the underworld
introducing the deceased to the gods of the underworld by their protective
deities.
The function of Egyptian art was twofold. First, to glorify the gods - including the Pharaoh -
and facilitate human passage into the after-life. Second, to assert, propagandize and preserve
the values of the day. Due to the general stability of Egyptian life and culture, all arts -
including architecture and sculpture, as well as painting, metalwork and goldsmithing - were
characterized by a highly conservative adherence to traditional rules, which favoured order
and form over creativity and artistic expression. Decorative arts included the first examples of
Nail Art.
CULTURAL SNIPPET
Egyptian culture developed along the
banks of the Nile river more than 3000
B.C.E
Religion influenced every part of
Egyptians life.
Pharaohs or Egyptians rulers were
worshipped as gods and pyramids were
built as tombs
Egyptians believed in life after death
and preserved bodies using
mumification
01
HEAVILY INFLUENCED
by daily life, especially religion and life CHARACTERISTICS OF
after death
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
02 ART
NOT FOCUSED
on exact replication, just representation
03
ALL ART LOOKED SIMILAR
in order to preserve a sense of stability
amongst the people
04
THE EGYPTIANS
they strictly up held the style of
frontalism, adhering carefully to
stylistic rules
05
THE SUBJECT'S HEAD
is always drawn in profile with the full CHARACTERISTICS OF
eye shown
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
06 ART
THE UPPER BODY
is depicted from the front and the legs
face in the same direction as the head
with one foot in front of the other
07
THE PERSON IN THE PICTURE
sits or stands stiff and rigid in a formal
posture, but the face is calm and
usually slightly tilted towards the sky
The characteristics of Egyptian art are a combination of geometric regularity and keen observation of nature. Their art
was classified into three: first art used in the home- furniture, jewelry, musical instruments, and many more; second. Art
used in the dead- tombs, masks mummy cases, and wrapping for the body; third art was created for the gods and their
priest and kings- in temples, paintings statues.
HIEROGLYPHICS
AND PAINTING
Besides pyramids and sphinxes, the Egyptians are
known for hieroglyphics or a form of picture writing.
Hieroglyphics use small pictures which represent
different words, actions, or ideas. Many ancient
Egyptian paintings have survive due to Egypt's
extremely dry climate. The paintings were often
made with the intent of making a pleasant afterlife
for the deceased. The themes included journey
through the afterworld or protective deities
introducing the deceased to the gods of he
underworld.
HIEROGLYPHICS
AND PAINTING
The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased
afterlife place pleasant. Themes include the journey to the
underworld introducing the deceased to the gods of the
underworld by their protective deities. It emphasizes the
importance of life after death and the preservation of the
knowledge of the past. Most paintings were highly
stylized, symbolic, and shows profile view of an animal or
a person. The main colors used were red, black, blue, gold
and green taken derived from mineral pigments that can
withstand strong sunlight without fading.
EGYPT WEST BANK
TOMBS
SARENPUT II
an ancient Egyptian nomarch during the
reign of pharaohs Senusret II and
Senusret III of the 12th Dynasty
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
ARCHITECTURE
This architectural style was developed during the pre-dynastic
period of 4,000BC.
Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture
1. The structure has thick sloping walls with few openings to
obtain stability.
2. The exterior and interior walls along with columns and piers
were covered with hieroglyphics and pictorial frescoes and
carvings painted in brilliant colors.
3. Ornamentations were symbolic including scarab (sacred
beetle), solar disk and vulture, common motifs (palm leaves,
buds, flower of lotus, and papyrus plants)
4. Temples were aligned with astronomically significant events
like solstices (comes from the Latin word Sol, meaning sun and
stitium meaning stoppage, as the sun appears to stand still on
the first day of winter) and equinox (a time or date when day
and night are of equal length) with precise measurements
required in determining the moment of that particular
event.
GREAT PYRAMID
GREAT PYRAMID
Egypt, El Giza, Great Pyramid, also
known as "Pyramid of Cheops" or
"Khufu's Pyramid". The base of the
pyramid covers about 13 acres. To build
the Great Pyramid, it took an about
2,300,300 dressed stone blocks, more
than any other structure ever built. The
blocks were moved on log rollers and
sledges, and then ramped into places.
GREAT SPHINX OF
GIZA
GREAT SPHINX
A colossal limestone statue of a
recumbent sphinx located in Giza, Egypt,
that likely dates from the reign of King
Khafre (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE) and depicts
his face.
It features a lion’s body and a human
head adorned with a royal headdress.
The statue was carved from a single
piece of limestone, and pigment residue
suggests that the entire Great Sphinx
was painted.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
SCULPTURE
Sculpture in the Round
Statues in the round usually depicted the gods, Pharaohs,
or civic officials, and were composed with special
reference to the maintenance of straight lines
Relief Sculpture
Throughout Egypt's long history, sculptors worked with
two methods of relief carving: high and low. High reliefs
were those carvings that stood out from the surrounding
surface which had been cut away. Low reliefs were
images that were cut or 'sunk' into the surface material.
Egyptian sculpture was highly symbolic and for most of
Egyptian history was not intended to be naturalistic or
realistic. Sculptures and statues were made from clay, wood,
metal, ivory, and stone - of which stone was the most
permanent and plentiful. Many Egyptian sculptures were
painted in vivid colours.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
SCULPTURE
Symbolic elements were widely used such as forms,
hieroglyphics, relative size, location, materials, color, actions,
and gestures. Their tombs required the most extensive used
of sculpture.
Characteristics of the Sculptures:
1. Symbolisms were heavily used to represent the gods. They
were represented as composite creatures with animal heads
on human bodies
2. Relief compositions were arranged in horizontal lines to
record an event or represent an action.
3. Most of the time the gods were shown larger than humans,
the kings larger than their followers, the dead larger than the
living.
4. Empty space were filled with figures or hieroglyphics .
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
POTTERY
Pottery was used by the ancient Egyptians in much the
same way we use modern kitchen containers or plastic.
The ancient art can be divided into two categories, Nile
Clay pottery, and Marl Clay pottery. Nile clay pottery, also
known as the Nile silt ware, is the most common vein of
pottery. This vein of pottery has a red-brown color that is
produced after being fired and was commonly used for
utilitarian purposes. The Marl clay, on the other hand, is
usually polished to give a lustrous look.
THANKS FOR
LISTENING
GROUP TWO
