Ancient Near Eastern art is easily distinguishable and recognizable because of its consistent use of various techniques including the hieratic scale, composite view, static visuals, frontality, and overall stylized effects. These elements serve practical and symbolic functions, allowing the artists to tell stories about the subjects they depict. Moreover, these characteristics enabled the anonymous artists to consistently reproduce the work of their predecessors to convey a consistent visual style that persisted throughout time.
Hieratic Scale
A hieratic scale allows the artist to assign symbolic, hierarchical value to certain elements of objects in a composition. In ancient Egyptian art, the hieratic scale is used mainly to differentiate between the status of the elite (such as pharaohs) and the common person. For example, on the Narmer Palette, the pharaoh appears many times larger than his vanquished enemies, not because he is a giant but because his status and power is far greater than that of his foes (“What is the Hieratic Scale?”).
Composite View
Composite view is one of the distinguishing features of ancient Near Eastern art. Using composite view, the artist depicts different body parts from different angles, all in the same picture. For example, the head and legs may be from the side but the torso...
Being static refers to the appearance of not moving, of being frozen in space and time. The function of visual art being static and of static depictions of people was to proudly showcase the symbolic, mythological function of the storytelling inherent in ancient art. Static styles do not preclude the artist from depicting symbolic acts or movements like benedictions.
Frontality
Referring to the way Near Eastern sculptures depicted their subjects facing forward, the use of frontality was crucial to many ancient Near Eastern sculptures because they were “designed to face the ritual being performed before them,” (“Egyptian Art,” n.d.). Frontality made ancient statuary seem more lifelike and present, more imaginable as alive. In some cases, frontality allowed the artists to create sculpture in the round.
Stylized
Ancient Near Eastern art is stylized, meaning that realistic or naturalistic renditions were less important than the overall visual effect. The stylized nature of the art also allowed various artists from different schools and throughout time to maintain the same iconography and style, creating uniformity within…
