The egyptian sculpture it was one of the most prominent artistic expressions of this ancient civilization. Its development was in conjunction with that of architecture and both expressions complemented each other. In fact, sculpture in many cases was used to adorn specific buildings, particularly funeral homes..
Funerary structures were where the sculpture of this civilization really stood out. Giant sculptures representing deities were created in the tombs of pharaohs to honor the fallen ruler. The architectural design of these places was made precisely to house large sculptures inside.
Although it was represented in its greatest expression in temples and funerary buildings, Egyptian sculpture was not only found in these structures. The Egyptians also developed other small, high-quality works; one of the most important sculptural forms was the carving in the structures, which creates a very peculiar shadow effect.
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The origin of art in ancient Egypt is linked to the development of one of its most important beliefs: balance. For the Egyptians, balance was extremely important in daily life and harmony should govern all aspects of it. Most of his artistic expressions, including sculpture, served to represent this belief..
Although some forms of stone art already existed before the establishment of the First Dynasty, 3150 BC. C. marked the emergence of Egyptian art as such.
During this period the Narmer Palette was created, a work that demonstrates the carving capabilities of the ancient civilization and which gave a clear beginning to the art of this style..
The Palette has a series of carvings that tell a story and this style of carving was used for several centuries in ancient Egypt..
The temples and many other structures presented this basic sculptural style, which consisted of forming images by shaping the stone as the artist wanted..
After a thousand years of the development of sculpture as a concrete artistic expression, ancient Egyptian sculptors had already incorporated the lotus flower, papyrus plants and certain representative symbols into their sculptures. By this time (2600 BC) large sculptures were incorporated into the art of Egypt.
Sculptors in Egypt used to have a number of characteristics that set them apart from other artists. In particular, the sculptors of this civilization considered themselves artisans.
Sculptors were highly disciplined people, who had a special ability to appreciate and create aesthetically correct works.
The works they created are considered one of the most important artistic expressions not only of ancient Egypt, but of the ancient era of humanity in general..
By nature, ancient Egyptian sculpture was funerary. The most common works can be found in the tombs of this civilization, as it was mainly for these structures that the statues were developed. It was also common to create statues and sculptures for temples, due to the religious character of Egyptian art.
The sculptures were developed for two main purposes. In case a sculpture was created for a person and not for a deity, the sculpture usually served for the person to fulfill a vow made in life. On the other hand, if the sculpture was created to represent a deity, it usually served a ritualistic purpose..
In many cases the sculptures were also made in honor of a king or monarch. However, Egyptian sculptural art could not represent any person per se (usually a deity was depicted). The only exception to this was for the person depicted on the statue to be explained through the use of hieroglyphs..
Some Egyptian artists also depicted everyday objects in their works, such as furniture, metal works, and jewelry. It was also common to represent "sacred" natural creations, such as the lotus leaf..
When it comes to large sculptures (which were the most popular in this art), there were two main types that were created throughout history: male standing figures with the left leg more forward than the right, and the male figures seated on a throne.
During the Second Dynasty of Egypt, seated sculptures were first created to represent a king. This also demonstrated the “real” character of these works and, although at the beginning they were not as great as they later were, they served the same purpose..
On the other hand, standing figures did develop even before seated ones; the First Dynasty saw the birth of this type of art. However, when it was created it was only used in wood carving and not in stone, as it was later done in the golden age of Egyptian sculpture.
One of the most important characteristics of these works is that the artists never placed their name on their sculptures; that is, it was not correct to "sign" them, as was the custom in ancient times. For this reason, it is difficult to know exactly which were the most prominent Egyptian artists of the ancient era..
The only thing possible to know regarding the authorship of these works is the quality of the craftsman. However, none of the names are known, but only the ability of the person who created a specific work..
Egyptian sculpture used to be large in general. In fact, the most famous sculptural representations on record are the sphinxes and the renowned Colossi of Memnon..
The massive size of these sculptures was a sign of the importance they had in the art of this civilization. These larger works used to exclusively represent very important deities or figures.
The materials used in Egyptian art were usually found with relative ease around the Nile River. Particularly, acacia or sycamore tree were used for wooden works. These trees gave the sculptor the necessary material to create works (such as sarcophagi) and decorate statues with wood..
Another material widely used in the creation of sculptures in Egypt was limestone. There were large deposits of limestone on the banks of the river, in addition to a large amount of sandstone. The high presence of these materials made them the favorites of Egyptian sculptors to create sculptures and buildings..
The great Egyptian sculptures (especially the massive ones, like the sphinxes) were created using sandstone. The smallest sculptures were created with various materials, among which the painted wood and the limestone itself stand out..
Although limestone, wood and sandstone were the most used materials to create sculptural works in Egypt, other materials were also used to create other types of works.
Some smaller sculptures were created with copper and bronze. To shape these pieces, a clay mold was used, into which the hot metals were poured. In this way, when solidifying, the sculpture was ready to be decorated..
It was also common to sculpt on top of structures to create relief sculptures. In many cases the buildings were covered with plaster.
Plaster was much easier to carve than stone, which greatly simplified the work of sculptors. However, this technique did not allow art to last as long as stone did..
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a giant limestone sculpture. This sculpture represents King Khafre and is one of the most famous structures in all of ancient Egypt. It has a height of 20 meters and a length of 73, which makes it one of the largest sculptures in the world..
These colossal statues represented the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. Both statues were part of the pharaoh's mortuary complex.
This complex at some point in history was exactly behind both statues. Several natural events, such as earthquakes, damaged the complex until causing its disappearance.
At the time of its construction the Amenhotep III complex was the largest built in Egypt, and the sculptures were imposing by the standards of the time..
This mask is one of the most outstanding sculptural works of ancient Egypt, particularly due to the large number of technical elements required to create it. Pharaoh Tutankhamun covered the mummified face, which is supposed to protect him from any evil that besets him.
The mask represents the pharaoh's features with great accuracy, which means that his "soul can recognize his body, and thus ensure his resurrection.".
It was created with several layers of gold, which were unified by means of heat and hammered one with the other. It was adorned with obsidian and quartz; the eyebrows were created with lapis lazuli.
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