Pharaoh
Akhenaten, who is himself an esteemed poet, has decreed that
all art should glorify the Aten. Since before the time of
the pyramids, Egyptians have painted reliefs, sculpted figures,
and constructed buildings in much the same way. Pharaoh Akhenaten
has revolutionized this tradition by bringing truth into art.
His New Art reveals the glories of the natural world and emphasizes
the here-and-now rather than the eternal.
Click
on the topics below to learn how the New Art reflects the
pharaohs religious revolution.
The
Purpose of Art
The
Appearance of the Pharaoh
The
Focus of Egyptian Art
The
Display of Emotion
Images
of Daily Life
Architecture
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The Purpose of Art
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Egyptian
Museum, Cairo (the Art Archive) |
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The
Old Art
Art
existed to glorify the pharaoh and the gods and serve
the dead in the afterlife.
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The
New Art
All
art celebrates the Aten, the source of life.
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The Appearance of the Pharaoh
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Egyptian
Museum, Cairo (the Art Archive) |
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Egyptian
Museum, Cairo (the Art Archive) |
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The
Old Art
The
king stood or sat stiffly and was portrayed in such formal
settings as smiting the enemies of Egypt and offering to the
gods. He always had broad shoulders and a slim waist and appeared
youthful. |
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The New Art
The
pharaoh and the queen are shown with all their soft curves.
The pharaohs hips are wide, his belly is generously
rounded, and his neck is slim and curved. In some sculptures,
the queen appears in the richness of her years, with the facial
lines that come with wisdom.
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The
Focus of Egyptian Art
The
Old Art
Painted
reliefs and sculptures depicted the gods, religious
festivals, military victories, and state occasions.
Realism was considered unnecessary, except in paintings
on tomb walls.
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The
New Art
Images
of the Aton and of the pharaoh and his family in their
daily lives have replaced the false gods of former times
as the focus of Egyptian art on temples and palaces.
Scenes of the royal family dominate tomb paintings,
which are no longer devoted to the lives of those buried
within.
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The Display of Emotion
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The
Old Art
The
king as well as high-born subjects were shown in quiet,
restful poses with expressionless faces.
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The
New Art
Reliefs
capture the pharaoh and the queen with delightful informality
and intimacy. They appear eating, kissing, and playing
with their daughters, as well as worshiping the Aten.
Artists now depict facial expressions and emotion. One
notable example is a recently completed relief in the
Royal Tomb that beautifully conveys the grief of the
royal family at the death of Princess Meketaten.
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Images of Daily Life
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Egyptian
Museum, Cairo (the Art Archive) |
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Egyptian
Museum, Cairo (the Art Archive) |
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The
Old Art
Images
of everyday activities appeared only in private tombs.
Tomb owners, believing that these scenes would come
to life in the afterworld, had themselves pictured in
highly pleasant settings that they wished to enjoy.
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The
New Art
Painted
reliefs on temple and palace walls now show scenes of
nature, including ducks and other animals. These paintings
also depict ordinary Egyptians in such everyday activities
as plowing fields, herding goats, and baking bread,
as the Aten rains down blessings on them.
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Architecture
The
Old Art
Temples
were dark and closed to nature, with many interior columns
and shrines.
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The
New Art
Temples
no longer have roofs, making them airy and light inside.
This new architecture allows the royal family to worship
directly in the life-flowing rays of the Aten.
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