Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut is an example of Egyptian religious art. Most of Egyptian art had a religious significance either relating to the gods or to the Egyptian pharaohs (who were given a near-divine status even while they lived on earth). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the statue dates from the Middle Kingdom and "stood in the temple of Mentuhotep II, just south of Hatshepsut's monument. According to the inscription on the base, 'Maatkare' (Hatshepsut) is represented here as 'the one who gives Maat to Amun.' Maat was the goddess of order, right balance, and justice, and for a king to offer an image of Maat to another deity meant reaffirming that this was the guiding principle of his/her rule."[footnoteRef:1] The inscription stresses how the virtues of the goddess were embodied in the ruler. [1: Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Available: http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/100000735 [3 Mar 2013]] To a modern...
The art had a symbolic function, more than aesthetic function. Many Egyptian statues have a static, similar quality. They are representational rather than designed to convey the individualistic qualities of the gods or rulers. After all, individualism might suggest a certain amount of imperfection or humanization, and the statue seems meant to inspire reverence and distance between the gazer and the qualities the statue is supposed to represent.If anything, the style of Akhenaton would tend to emphasize positive features, and perhaps even idealize the figure. The change in style may be attributed to Akhenaton's introduction of monotheism into Egypt. Ahten, the one God into which all other Egyptian deities were formed, was usually portrayed as a sun figure. In keeping with Ahten's supremacy and the tendency of Egyptian monarchs to affiliate them with the prevailing deity,
On viewing extensive amounts of Egyptian art, the similarities between the subjects and styles is somewhat astounding to a Western eye, which is more trained to notice the different signs of individual artists. It easily becomes clear that though the Egyptians saw aesthetic value in art and material things, most of the artwork they left behind -- especially in tombs and funerary chapels -- serve a much higher purpose
Moreover, this particular work displays some of the key characteristics of Isis. In addition to her magical powers, Isis represented for Egyptian culture the model of perfection for womanhood. This model, of course, includes the role of the woman as a mother, which is why it is vital that she is breast-feeding her newborn in this sculpture. It is also key to understand the fact that Horus was one of
The "Stela" was made around 1350 BCE, during the amarna period, and depicts Akhenaten, who initiated monotheism in Egypt, and his consort Nerfiti, in a limestone relief carving. The "Stela" represents the pharaoh and his family in a naturalistic manner that breaks from the traditional Egyptian stylization. The royal couple hold their three babies underneath the sun in a garden setting. The lines of the carving are more fluid, and
Ancient Egypt featured a wide variety of different pharaohs's. It is often a less well-known fact that these on occasion included a female pharaoh, such as Nefertari or Hatshepsut. The 18th Dynasty is no exception to this rule. It is interesting to see the extent of the importance of religion in lives of the kings and the people of the time. Often this is indicated by the art created to
Artists express feelings, thoughts, and images within their art. Sometimes they show more than that and paint their spirit on canvas. Spirituality was an important aspect of identity for many throughout the centuries and millennia. In modern times, artists like Georges Braque and Wassily Kandinsky wished to showcase the essence of the intangible by illustrating it through unique patterns and shapes. During the Renaissance period, and during the Baroque
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