The Influence of Egyptian Art

Paper Summary:

This paper explains how the triumph of art over nature, as exhibited in Egyptian art and design, influenced American art in the 1920s. The paper explains how this influence manifested itself in the form of Art Deco and continues to influence art today.

From the Paper:

"If Greek sculpture attempted to create a realistic portrait of the human body during the Classical and Hellenistic periods of sculpture, Egyptian portraiture is reflected in the contrasting hieroglyphic-like portrayal of the human body in a stylized, rather than a naturalistic way. Rather than seeing what is natural as good and what is unnatural as less artistic, however, it is important instead to consider the function and purpose of this style of Egyptian design, as well as merely compare its lack of naturalness to other forms of art of the period. Egyptian art's unnatural pairing of human and animal parts was reflective of its religious system. Its highly rigid interior home design structures reflected the focus of the Egyptian world upon the life of the dead, rather than the relatively transient existence of humans on earth. (Pile, 2004) Just as in Egyptian cosmology, God in the form of the sun died and was constantly reborn again and so were humans within their homes and tombs. The sharp lines of human depiction and sharp lines of furniture and spatial design mirrored the sharp lines of the pyramids and tombs."

More papers on The Influence of Egyptian Art:

• Essay # 22645 : "Materials and Technologies used for the Development of Egyptian Art"
• Analytical Essay # 73062 : "Influences of Ancient Egyptian Art on Ancient Greek Art"
• Analytical Essay # 113217 : "The Art of Egyptian Civilization"

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