Egyptian art is renowned for its sophisticated and intricate images in stone and wood carvings, wall paintings and ceramics. Until the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, its art developed independently, largely due to their isolated location along the Nile River valley. Egyptian art is remarkable for the amount of detail included and its close attention to accuracy.
The Three Classes of Egyptian Art
Egyptian art can be divided into three distinct categories, which are as follows:
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Monumental Art: Large sculptures and reliefs carved onto the walls of temples, pyramids or tombs. Statues were also placed inside the temples or in other public places. Monumental art was used to represent deities, represent pharaohs, or to record important—sometimes mythical—events.
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Statuary Art: The production of statues, figurines and statuettes that were used to decorate temples and tombs, as well as to stand in for an absent pharaoh. Statuary art has, for centuries, been a staple of museums and art galleries across the world.
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Personal Art: Smaller objects such as jewelry, amulets, clothing and furniture that people had at their homes. Paintings, mosaics and pottery also belong to this category. These objects were both functional and decorative.
Egyptian Art Characteristics
Egyptian art is distinctive and easy to identify due to its characteristic style and the symbols it used to represent the culture and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Some of its most striking traits include:
• Symmetrical composition: Egyptian art often depicts symmetrical compositions and balanced settings, where parallel figures and identical objects are presented in pairs.
• Hierarchical scale: Where gods and supernatural entities are shown as larger than humans and animals, while kings, queens and pharaohs are much bigger than regular people.
• Figures in profile: An interesting characteristic where the figures are always depicted in profile—this style was used in both painting and carving.
• Use of proportions: Where the body of the figures is often depicted in an idealized form, with much regard to proportions, especially in the rendering of the human body.
• Stylized realism: Form and detail are exaggerated and simplified, favoring natural elements such as plants and animals, especially in the clothing used to dress the figures.
• Geometric design: Geometric shapes and forms such as squares, circles and triangles where used to represent the four elements of nature such as Earth, air, fire and water.
• Use of symbols: Symbols were used to represent gods and goddesses, sacred animals associated with religious beliefs, and even everyday objects like furniture.
• Polychromatic color scheme: Predominantly based on primary colors—red, yellow and blue—with hues of green, brown and black.
Functions of Egyptian Art
• To honor the gods/goddesses: Ancient Egyptians believed that by depicting gods and goddesses, they were honoring them in physical form and showing respect to the gods.
• To depict the afterlife: The Ancient Egyptians represented the afterlife in their art by depicting the underworld and depicting the afterlife as a journey where the deceased is reunited with Osiris, their god of resurrection.
• To protect the tombs: Ancient Egyptian tombs were decorated with paintings and inscriptions in order to keep the body of the deceased safe, as well as ward off evil. The walls of the tombs often featured scenes related to the afterlife, where the deceased was conveyed after death.
• To record important events: Pharaohs would have statues and monuments erected as a sign of victory, to commemorate important events and to send messages to future generations.
• To commemorate the dead: Ancient Egyptians would often make statues and sculptures of the deceased as way to commemorate their lives and to show respect to the dead.
• To serve as a teaching tool: Egyptian art served as a teaching tool to future generations so that they could learn about important events and facts related to the Ancient Egyptian society.
Egyptian art is some of the most impressive art of the ancient world, with its highly stylized forms, patterns, and symbols. Its sophisticated use of geometry, mathematics, and color scheme has inspired many works of art throughout the centuries and will continue to do so in the centuries to come.
