First read over what other students have already posted. Next, go to the link about Ancient Egypt at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
- If your last name starts with A to Kea look at Elements of Style.
- If your last name starts with Kel to R look at Striking Poses.
- If your last name starts with S to W look at Signs of Afterlife.
Post a 2 to 3 sentence statement explaining what you learned. Also, read your classmate's postings and make a brief comment or ask a question to at least one other person. You can do this at a different time. Check back to see what others have said about your factoid! Please complete both postings by midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/kiosk/egyptian/ancient-egypt/index.php
I learned that a figure who is seated with legs crossed is called a scribe pose. I also learned that this pose is reserved for depictions of men.
ReplyDeleteIs there a reserved pose for women?
ReplyDeleteEgyptian artwork is thought to have been used to depict information rather than reality. The mixture of views is known as isolation and reassemblage.
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ReplyDeleteI learned that the standing pose is one of the oldest statue types in Egyptian art. In this pose, men are usually shown with their left feet advanced and their fists clenched. I thought that was in interesting fact, considering we saw that exact pose in our texbook in the picture of Menkaure and his wife from Gizeh.
ReplyDeleteExcellent observation Morgan!
ReplyDeleteI learned that the seated pose dates back to the Old Kingdom, when furniture was relatively rare so was there for considered a mark of wealth or nobility.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie M.
I learned that the Egyptians had an actual mathematical way for depicting their standing protraits; they used grids to help in making the ideal body proportions. For example,during the Middle Kingdom it was eighteen equal squares from the soles of the feet to the hairline.
ReplyDeleteJessica: I thought that was interesting also, in how their artwork is actually meant to be "read" rather than serve as decoration.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that Ancient Egyptians emphasized vegetables and meats in their steles so much. Vegetables and meats were an integral part of both the Ancient Egyptian life and afterlife.
ReplyDelete-Avanti, It is is interesting that Egyptian art was so mathematical, as opposed to the creative outlet it serves as today.
The Ancient Egyptian grid system changed over time, reflecting the evolving views of the ideal body image. During the Amarna Period, Akhenaten's idea of the ideal body caused the traditional grid system that consisted of 18 squares to change to 20 squares.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, did this pose have any symbolic meaning or significance?
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the seated statues. They were created prior to the Old Kingdom and at that time furniture was scarce, so having furniture was a sign of wealth and power. Being that furniture is so common in modern society, i found their glorification of it to be amusing. In addition to this, I was inspired to think about the true value of material objects. Did the Egyptians really care about the furniture itself, or did they only value it because it was rare? Similarly, do Americans only like fancy cars and big mansions because they are hard to obtain? What do these things actually DO for people that is so great?
ReplyDeleteJoe
Catherine, were the scribes depicted thought of highly, or did they look down upon scribes?
ReplyDeleteI learned that Egyptian art was used for hieroglyphic writing, and that it was created on a 18, 20 or 21 square grid system.
ReplyDelete@Morgan- Thats very interesting!
Avanti- was the grid system you mentioned used to adhere to the "canon of human proportions" from our reading?
ReplyDeletePatrick - The placement of the left foot forward and clenched fists in the standing pose depicts the males as assertive, and indicates power.
ReplyDeleteStephanie- So we can assume that a figure shown in a seated position is meant to show power or wealth? Seated on furniture anyways, I'm sure a scribe sitting on the ground doesn't project power quite the same :)
ReplyDeleteI learned that Egyptian artists combined the profile and frontal views to convey information rather than show what someone actually looked like. Looking at the relief from all possible views tells the entire story that is trying to be portrayed.
ReplyDelete-paige cleven.
I learned that Egyptian artists wanted to convey information rather than reproduce reality. This was important because the different ways artworks were made, and stylized signified different meanings. I also learned the the Egyptians used a grid system to create artwork, to isolate certain parts of the piece which helped them in detailed the artwork.
ReplyDeleteBuilding off of what Paige said, many other cultures have used this technique called Isolation & Reassemblage too, like the Assyrians, the Yoruba people of Nigeria, and the Spainish artist Pablo Picasso.
ReplyDeleteJoe - You asked about three questions in your post, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on what the answer is to any one of them!
Joe- I found it interesting that you pointed out the rarity of furniture in the time of the ancient Egyptians, where as it is so common to us. And the curious question of whether or not they valued it for it's function or for a symbol of power and wealth.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the block position indicates patience.I also learned that the shawabtis were summoned to work for the deceased in the afterlife.The number of the shawabtis in deceased persons tomb increased from the New Kingdom through the Third Intermediate Period. throughout this period the shawabtis became more elaborate as well
ReplyDeleteYour postings are quite insightful and the discussions some of you have going (the chair, furniture, poses for one example)are exactly what I had hoped for. Thanks for following through on this first posting.
ReplyDeleteSigns of Afterlife revealed what Egypians truly valued in life. Some things important enough for one man, Intef, to want to have in his afterlife were his wife, his servent, and ointment jars.
ReplyDeleteThe desire to bring his wife into the afterlife shows the importance of his wife in his eyes. This could suggest a certian level of equality between men and women of the time.
Other objects Intef wanted to bring suggest the importance of social status (the servent) and physical appearence (ointment jars.)