Amarna art
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Egypt
ian art style known as Amarna Art was a style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period
(i.e. during and just after the reign of Akhenaten
in the late Eighteenth Dynasty
), and is noticeably different from more conventional Egyptian art
styles.
It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images, with figures having raised heads, many figures overlapping and many scenes busy and crowded. Also, the human body is portrayed differently in Amarna style artwork than Egyptian art on the whole. For instance, many depictions of Akhenaten's body give him distinctly feminine qualities, such as large hips, prominent breasts, and a larger stomach and thighs. This is a divergence from the earlier Egyptian art which shows men with perfectly chiseled bodies. Faces on relief
s are still shown exclusively in profile.
The illustration of hands and feet was obviously thought to be important. They were shown with long and slender fingers, and great pains were gone to show fingers and finger nails. Flesh was shown as being dark brown, for both males and females (contrasted with the more normal dark brown or red for males and light brown or white for females) – this could merely be convention, or depict the ‘life’ blood. Figures are now shown with both a left and a right foot, contrasting the tradition of being shown with either two left or two right feet.
There is an absence of other gods and goddesses, apart from the Aten
, the sundisc. However, the Aten does not shine its rays on the tomb owner, only on members of the royal family. There is neither a mention of Osiris
nor other funerary figures. There is also no mention of a journey through the underworld. Instead, excerpts from the Hymn to the Aten
are generally present.
In a relief of Akhenaten, he is portrayed with his wife and children in an intimate setting. His children appear to be fully grown, only shrunken to appear smaller than their parents. They also have elongated neck and bodies. An unfinished head of a prince from this time, that is currently an artifact of the Tutankhamun, and the golden age of the pharohs
exhibition, displays a very prominet elongation to the back of the head.
The head shape may have been an exaggeration of a real head shape, based on the similar shape of the head of Tutankhamun
, or a completely false representation of ritulistic reason.
The hands at the end of each ray extending from Aten
in the relief are delivering the ankh
, which symbolized "life" in the Egyptian culture, to Akhenaten and his wife. The importance of the Sun God Aten is central to much of the Amarna period art, largely because Akhenaten's rule was marked by its monotheistic following of Aten.
In one sculpture of Akhenaten, he has wide hips and a drooping stomach. His lips are thick and his arms and legs are thin and lack muscular tone, unlike his counterparts of other eras in Egyptian artwork. Some scholars suggest that the presentation of the human body as imperfect during the Amarna period is in deference to Aten. Others think Akhenaton suffered from a genetic disorder that caused him to look that way.
Much of the finest work, including the famous Nefertiti bust
in Berlin
, was found in the studio of the court sculptor Thutmose
, and is now in Berlin and Cairo
, with some in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, New York.
The period saw the use of sunk relief, previously used for large external relief
s, extended to small carvings, and used for most monumental reliefs. Sunk relief appears best in strong sunlight. This was one innovation that had a lasting effect, as raised relief is rare in later periods.
, which were very easy to remove and reuse. In recent decades, re-building work on later buildings has revealed large number of reused blocks from the period, with the original carved faces turned inwards, greatly increasing the amount of work known from the period.
Temples in Amarna did not follow the traditional Egyptian design and were smaller, with sanctuaries open to the sun, containing large numbers of altars. They had no closing doors. See Great Temple of the Aten
, Small Temple of the Aten and the Temple of Amenhotep IV
.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian art style known as Amarna Art was a style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period
Amarna
Amarna is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly–established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty , and abandoned shortly afterwards...
(i.e. during and just after the reign of Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
in the late Eighteenth Dynasty
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
The eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt...
), and is noticeably different from more conventional Egyptian art
Art of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 BC to 300 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic...
styles.
It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images, with figures having raised heads, many figures overlapping and many scenes busy and crowded. Also, the human body is portrayed differently in Amarna style artwork than Egyptian art on the whole. For instance, many depictions of Akhenaten's body give him distinctly feminine qualities, such as large hips, prominent breasts, and a larger stomach and thighs. This is a divergence from the earlier Egyptian art which shows men with perfectly chiseled bodies. Faces on relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s are still shown exclusively in profile.
The illustration of hands and feet was obviously thought to be important. They were shown with long and slender fingers, and great pains were gone to show fingers and finger nails. Flesh was shown as being dark brown, for both males and females (contrasted with the more normal dark brown or red for males and light brown or white for females) – this could merely be convention, or depict the ‘life’ blood. Figures are now shown with both a left and a right foot, contrasting the tradition of being shown with either two left or two right feet.
Tombs
The decoration of the tombs of non-royals is quite different from previous eras. These tombs do not feature any funerary or agricultural scenes, nor do they include the tomb occupant unless he or she is depicted with a member of the royal family.There is an absence of other gods and goddesses, apart from the Aten
Aten
Aten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. The deified Aten is the focus of the monolatristic, henotheistic, or monotheistic religion of Atenism established by Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten in worship in recognition of Aten...
, the sundisc. However, the Aten does not shine its rays on the tomb owner, only on members of the royal family. There is neither a mention of Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
nor other funerary figures. There is also no mention of a journey through the underworld. Instead, excerpts from the Hymn to the Aten
Great Hymn to the Aten
The Great Hymn to the Aten is an ancient Egyptian hymn to the sun god Aten. It is attributed to Pharaoh Akhenaten, who attempted to convert Egypt to monotheism, with Aten being the only god. It was found, in its most complete form, in the tomb of Ay in the rock tombs at Amarna...
are generally present.
Sculpture
Sculptures from the Amarna period are set apart from other periods of Egyptian art. One reason is the accentuation of certain features. For instance, an elongation and narrowing of the neck, sloping of the forehead and nose, prominent chin, large ears and lips, spindle-like arms and calves and large thighs, stomachs, and hips.In a relief of Akhenaten, he is portrayed with his wife and children in an intimate setting. His children appear to be fully grown, only shrunken to appear smaller than their parents. They also have elongated neck and bodies. An unfinished head of a prince from this time, that is currently an artifact of the Tutankhamun, and the golden age of the pharohs
Tutankhamun Exhibition
Exhibitions of artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, in both permanent and travelling displays, have appeared in museums across several countries, notably the Soviet Union, United States and the United Kingdom...
exhibition, displays a very prominet elongation to the back of the head.
The head shape may have been an exaggeration of a real head shape, based on the similar shape of the head of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
, or a completely false representation of ritulistic reason.
The hands at the end of each ray extending from Aten
Aten
Aten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. The deified Aten is the focus of the monolatristic, henotheistic, or monotheistic religion of Atenism established by Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten in worship in recognition of Aten...
in the relief are delivering the ankh
Ankh
The ankh , also known as key of life, the key of the Nile or crux ansata, was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character that read "eternal life", a triliteral sign for the consonants ʻ-n-ḫ...
, which symbolized "life" in the Egyptian culture, to Akhenaten and his wife. The importance of the Sun God Aten is central to much of the Amarna period art, largely because Akhenaten's rule was marked by its monotheistic following of Aten.
In one sculpture of Akhenaten, he has wide hips and a drooping stomach. His lips are thick and his arms and legs are thin and lack muscular tone, unlike his counterparts of other eras in Egyptian artwork. Some scholars suggest that the presentation of the human body as imperfect during the Amarna period is in deference to Aten. Others think Akhenaton suffered from a genetic disorder that caused him to look that way.
Much of the finest work, including the famous Nefertiti bust
Nefertiti Bust
The Nefertiti Bust is a 3300-year-old painted limestone bust of Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt. Due to the bust, Nefertiti has become one of the most famous women from the ancient world as well as an icon of...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, was found in the studio of the court sculptor Thutmose
Thutmose (sculptor)
"The King's Favourite and Master of Works, the Sculptor Thutmose" , flourished 1350 BC, is thought to have been the official court sculptor of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten in the latter part of his reign...
, and is now in Berlin and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, with some in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York.
The period saw the use of sunk relief, previously used for large external relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s, extended to small carvings, and used for most monumental reliefs. Sunk relief appears best in strong sunlight. This was one innovation that had a lasting effect, as raised relief is rare in later periods.
Architecture
Not many buildings from this period have survived the ravages of later kings, partially as they were constructed out of standard size blocks, known as talatatTalatat
Talatat are stone blocks of standardized size used during the reign of Akhenaton in the building of the Aton temples at Karnak and Akhetaten. The standardized size and their small weight made construction more efficient Their use may have begun in the second year of Akhenton's reign...
, which were very easy to remove and reuse. In recent decades, re-building work on later buildings has revealed large number of reused blocks from the period, with the original carved faces turned inwards, greatly increasing the amount of work known from the period.
Temples in Amarna did not follow the traditional Egyptian design and were smaller, with sanctuaries open to the sun, containing large numbers of altars. They had no closing doors. See Great Temple of the Aten
Great Temple of the Aten
The Great Temple of the Aten was located in the city of el-Amarna, Egypt, and was the main temple for the worship of the god Aten during the reign of Tutankhamen]...
, Small Temple of the Aten and the Temple of Amenhotep IV
Temple of Amenhotep IV
The structures within the Temple of Amenhotep IV at Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, were used during the first four years of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, when he still referred to himself as Amenhotep IV, although they may have been constructed at the end of the reign of Amenhotep III, and...
.