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Free Ancient Egyptian and Aegean Art Essay Sample
Ancient Egyptian art was similar to other forms of art that majorly had magical and religious functions, and were mainly recognized from memorial and sacred backgrounds. The sole purpose of arts was only and extremely produced on an occasional basis. Egyptians embraced recording, writing, listing, and controlling that was of considerable implication to the development of ancient Egyptian art and Aegean art. On the other hand, Aegean art is art that emerged in the Grecian lands immediate to Aegean Sea. Some examples of art Aegean art include the Mycenaean art, popular for gold masks and sturdy architecture comprising of 20 feet fortresses on hills and the Cyclades art, popular for Venus figurines carved in white marble. In light of this, paper compares and contrasts the ancient Egyptian art and ancient Aegean art.
Differences between Ancient Egyptian Art and Ancient Aegean Art
The first difference between ancient Aegean art and ancient Egyptian art is the difference in time of existence. Ancient Aegean art and ancient Egyptian art existed in different historical times. Ancient Egyptian art existed from 3000 BC to 300 AD. During this period it reached its maximum level in painting and sculpture. It was both highly representational and conventional. Historically, ancient Egyptian art progressed over different periods, for example the Predynastic, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, Amarna, third intermediate periods and Ptolemaic. On the other hand, ancient Aegean art existed from 3000 BC to 1200 BC deploying numerous styles or cultures, for example Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean and cyclopean.
The second difference between the two arts is visible from the way they represent females in their paintings or sculptures. Ancient Egyptian paints show females with extremely less stride than the stride of males, whereas ancient Aegean paints or sculptures shows both feet having only the big toe from the interior side. These Egyptian ways of representation are evident on curved sculptures of male figures with pronounced strides and women having nearly parallel legs. The motive behind the Egyptian depiction is to indicate that people have two and not one leg. In addition, human hands are shown in either open or fist having all the five fingers. The thumbs are usually shown as the final instead of the first finger, though it seems unrealistic. The Aegean art only shows one foot of sitting or kneeling person. However, the Aegean mode of representation changes when portraying persons of high status such as kings. A particular representational method showed kings in a kneeling position in ritual occasions.
The third difference between Egyptian and Aegean art is in the diversity of mode of representing human beings. The Aegean art represent humans in a more diversified manner than the ancient Egyptian representation. The frontal view of human in the Aegean art shows human head having one eye and the chest having two breasts, whereas the Egyptian only shows the chest having a single breast. In addition, various Aegean paintings do not have details of the chest, which is in contrast to the Egyptian art. Egyptian paintings show the pelvis and legs form the side and not front as in the case of Aegean. Another representation that is present in Egyptian and not in Aegean is the portrayal of females having heads in profile, but other body parts en face. This is evident in the Temple fresco. Women with skirts also en face as revealed by Xeste three saffron gatherers.
The mode of representing animals in both Aegean and Egyptian differ widely. The Egyptian paintings normally show striding or crouching animals in profile. Some animals such as the cobra are shown in varying aspective views. For example, the cobra’s head is shown in profile, the chest en face and other parts of the body are in profile. This representation is symbolic writing to facilitate quick identification of the snake. Additionally the swollen chest of the snake is not depicted from the front side.
In ancient Egyptian painting, striding mammals are shown with their interior rear leg forward, which is also the case of humans where inner leg is shown in front. The front legs, in an analogous fashion, repeat this representation. It is a rule in Egyptian art to paint mammals walking and some time with an incorrect parallel stride, which naturally occurs in animals such as camels and giraffes that have long legs. Aegean art, in contrast to Egyptian art, shows a realistic movement of animals. Naturally, mammals alternate their strides when moving, which is similar to what is portrayed in Aegean art.
Similarities between Ancient Egyptian Art and Ancient Aegean Art
Aegean art hardly shows the human face en face in painting except on the representation of beads of the jewel fresco. This representation usually occur, but in glyptic art without clear details of the face. However, in Egyptian art, frontality is exceptional, though used in cases of goddess Qudshu and when portraying enemies. Aegean art normally portray monkeys, bulls, felines and other animals en face. This implies that there is a form of taboo attributed to Aegean representation. The selective use of showing pictures in frontal view is a similarity in both Aegean and Egyptian art.
Another similarity in ancient Aegean art and Egyptian is visible in the way horns of animals are shown. In Aegean art, horns of bulls are usually shown in side view except when the bull is shown en face or in the rear view. However, the representation of the seal gives a front view of the horns with the head in profile. Egyptian art shows the horns of gazelles or oryx in strict side view to facilitate quick identification. Notably, both Egyptian and Aegean art embrace the side view representation of animals with some exceptions.
Aegean art and Egyptian art show some similarity in that they were used for religious and cultural purposes. Much of Aegean art was a form of giving gratitude to their gods for the huge fortune and gain favor in opportune moments. Many temples were specifically designed to hold religious statue or carvings. An example is the Erechthieon that is situated in Acropolis, built to honor Athena and Poseidon. Aegean art tended to humanize myths by portraying god as a human. Various sculptors represented a myth or symbolized man’s purpose in the world, because the myths emphasized a unified culture. On the other, Egyptians worshipped their own statues and other forms of art. However, they did not take perceive their artwork as gods, but strongly believed that gods existed in them. The use of grandiose in building Egyptian temples and pyramids symbolized honor for their gods.
In conclusion, the society in which recording, writing, listing, and controlling was of considerable significance developed the ancient Egyptian art and ancient Aegean art. Ancient Egyptian art existed from 3000 BC to 300 AD, having reached its highest level in painting and sculpture. On the other hand, ancient Aegean art existed from 3000 BC to 1200 BC employing various styles or cultures such as Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean and cyclopean. Ancient Egyptian art portrays females with extremely less stride in comparison to males, whereas ancient Aegean art shows the both feet with only the big toe from the inner side. The frontal view of the Aegean art shows human head having one eye, the chest having two breasts, whereas the Egyptian only shows the chest having a single breast. Egyptian art and Aegean art depict some similarity from frontal representation that is used selectively. Aegean art and Egyptian art show some similarity in that they were used for religious and cultural purposes.
