History of Art Week 4 PDF

WEEKLY QUIZ  Ancient Egypt  Mummification  Early Dynastic Period  Old Kingdom  Lebanese fashion designer, Zuhair Murad, created a fashion collection for 2020 inspired by ancient Egypt  The collection was dedicated to queens "who left a mark on history by...

WEEKLY QUIZ  Ancient Egypt  Mummification  Early Dynastic Period  Old Kingdom  Lebanese fashion designer, Zuhair Murad, created a fashion collection for 2020 inspired by ancient Egypt  The collection was dedicated to queens "who left a mark on history by their beauty and power"  Ridley Scott is a famous filmmaker from England who has directed films such as “The Martian” (2015), “Alien” (1979), and “Blade Runner” (1982)  Ridley Scott initially worked as a graphic designer before moving into commercials and film  His futuristic film “Blade Runner” (1982) is based on Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”  “Blade Runner” draws inspiration from a number of ancient civilizations  Opening Scene from "Blade Runner“ (3:00-4:30)  Scientists used CT scans to map the vocal tract of an ancient Egyptian priest named Nesyamun who lived about 3,000 years ago  The vocal tract (from the vocal cords to the mouth) controls the unique sound of each person’s voice  When hooked up to a voice box in the lab, the 3- D printed mould of the vocal tract made a sound  The Voice of Nesyamun ANCIENT EGYPT  The most important concept in Egyptian mythology was harmony which is disrupted and must be restored  Once there was nothing but endless dark water out of which rose a hill (known as the Ben-Ben), upon which stood the great god Atum  Atum was lonely so he mated with his own shadow to give birth to two children: Shu (god of air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture) who left their father to establish the world  Shu and Tefnut eventually returned and Atum shed tears of happiness which dropped on Ben-Ben and gave birth to men and women  Shu and Tefnut mated and gave birth to Geb (the earth) and Nut (the sky)  Nut and Geb mated and gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus  Osiris was given rule of the world with his sister Isis  Set became envious of Osiris and he locked him in a chest and threw it in the Nile River  Isis went searching for Osiris and found him drowned in the chest  Isis gathered herbs to make potions  Set found Osiris’ body and cut it into 42 pieces and flung them all over Egypt so Isis could not resurrect him  Isis and Nepthys found all the pieces of Osiris’ body and reassembled them (except the penis which was eaten by a fish, and they replaced it with an artificial phallus)  Isis and Osiris mated and gave birth to Horus (the Younger) who grows up and destroys Set  Egypt was referred to as “the gift of the Nile”  Nile is the longest river in the world  Before 3100 BC, ancient Egypt was divided into Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in north  Early Dynastic Period: 3100-2600 BC  Old Kingdom: 2600-2160 BC  First Intermediate Period: 2160-2040 BC  Middle Kingdom: 2040-1700 BC  Second Intermediate Period: 1700- 1570 BC  New Kingdom: 1570-1070 BC  Third Intermediate Period: 1070-600 BC  Late Kingdom: 600 BC-332 BC  Ptolemaic Dynasty: 332-30 BC  From 3100 BC, Egypt was ruled by pharaohs  The Pharaoh mediated between the public and the gods, and was considered a god  Most pharaohs were men, though there were a few female pharaohs  The Pharaoh often had one “Great Royal Wife” and multiple secondary wives  The royal family often engaged in incestuous marriages (some were symbolic, others were consummated)   Canon of proportions in Egypt changed very little from the Old to New Kingdom  In Egyptian art men were shown with darker skin colour than women  Important persons were in larger scale than less important persons  The human body was drawn as a two-dimensional schematic  The shoulders and one visible Ramesses II smiting his enemies. eye are frontal, while the head, c. 1200 BCE. arms, waist and legs are in profile MUMMIFICATION  The deceased were physically preserved with their earthly possessions  Mummification achieved by two methods: ◦ 1. Burying the body in the dry desert sands ◦ 2. Artificial means of preservation  Body was embalmed for 72 days (this period varied based on the Dynasty)  Internal organs were removed (except for the heart and sometimes the brain)  Body was packed in dry natron (sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate) which dehydrated the cadaver and dissolved the body’s fats  Body was washed, treated with oils and ointments, wrapped in linens  Organs were embalmed and placed in four canopic jars  The Mummification Process  Ancient Egyptian priests raised crocodiles in captivity and then would sacrifice them to the god Sobek (more docile crocodiles would be raised to adulthood before being sacrificed)  According to Greek writers, certain crocodiles would be adorned with gold jewellery while alive  After death, the crocodiles would be mummified  Conservation of a Crocodile Mummy (up to 3:00)  Secrets of the Dead: Egypt's Darkest Hour (from 35:10-39:00) EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD: 3100-2600 BC  Discovered in a temple dedicated to Hathor (the falcon god)  Narmer was the first pharaoh who unified Egypt  Made of siltstone  Decorated in low relief  Palettes were used to grind and mix minerals for cosmetics  FRONT: ◦ Narmer wears the conical crown of Upper Egypt and threatens a kneeling enemy with a mace while holding him by the hair ◦ Horus (the god of the sky) sits on six papyrus plants which represent Lower Egypt  BACK: ◦ There are 3 registers:  1st register: Narmer wears red crown of Lower Egypt, and his decapitated enemies lie with their heads between their feet  2nd register: Two felines (called serpopards) form an Palette of Narmer. 3000 BC. indented circle (possible reference to the unification of Egypt)  3rd register: A bull (representing Narmer) dominates a fallen enemy  The Palette of Narmer OLD KINGDOM: 2600-2160 BC  Mastabas were single-story trapezoidal structures made of mud- brick and faced with cut stone  Had a deep shaft that descended underground and served as a burial chamber (Mastabas were mainly used for non-royal burials)  Mastabas had storage rooms that contained food and equipment  The walls were decorated with scenes from the daily life of the deceased  Later developed into the step pyramid  Funerary complex of King Zoser  2630 BC  62 meters high (200 feet high)  Limestone  Created by architect Imhotep  Located at a sacred site at Saqqara (30 miles south of Cairo)  Five mastabas of decreasing size stacked on top of each other  Contained a 90 feet vertical shaft that leads to the burial chamber Funerary complex of King Zoser. 2630 BC.  Three great pyramids in Egypt: ◦ Khufu (c. 2550 BC) (146 meters high) ◦ Khafre (c. 2520 BC) (144 meters high) ◦ Menkaure (c. 2490 BC) (66 meters high)  Located in Giza  A pyramid is a four sided structure that slants inward from a square base so that the apexes of the triangles meet over the center of the square  All three pyramids face the direction of the sunset (symbolizing death)  Each pyramid was connected by a causeway (an elevated road)  When the king died, his body was transported across the Nile by boat to the valley temple, and the Opening of the Mouth ceremony was performed  There were also smaller chambers (possibly for the queen, organs of the deceased, and worldly goods)  Topped with a capstone, probably gold, reflected the sun, signifying the pharaoh’s divinity and identification with the sun Pyramids at Giza. 2551-2472 BC.  The Pyramids at Giza (0:00-6:00)  Colossal statue of Pharaoh Khafre Colossal statue of Pharaoh Khafre. c. 2520 BC.  Located in Giza  c. 2520 BC  Limestone  Colossal human-headed creature with a lion’s body  Lions were depicted at entrances because it was believed they never slept and would guard against enemies  Location of the Sphinx suggests it represented Khafre (the processional road led from the pyramid of Khafre to his valley temple and is guarded by the Great Sphinx)  Surrounding the Sphinx’s head is the trapezoidal Nemes headdress  It is believed that the Great Sphinx was built to: ◦ Protect Khafre’s tomb and pyramid ◦ Demonstrate Khafre’s dominance and divinity (cats had sacred properties in ancient Egypt) ◦ Show Khafre as a fierce combination of animal/human properties (animal body controlled by a human brain)  Why Was the Great Sphinx Built?  The Great Sphinx  Ancient Egypt  Readings will be provided  Weekly Quiz