When we talk about Egyptian art, we most often talk about paintings and sculptures that were used to decorate tombs or mastabas. In ancient Egypt, there was a strong belief in the afterlife. Death was considered a necessary transition to the next world where the dead would lead a life similar to life as they knew it. This belief was the reason for the embalming of bodies, the abundance of funerary offerings, the statues, the relief carvings, the inscriptions and of course, the paintings. Egyptian art can be divided up into 4 main periods: 1) 3200 - 2185 BC: Old Kingdom 2) 2040 - 1650 BC: Middle Kingdom 3) 1550 - 1070 BC: New Kingdom and last but not least 4) 1370 - 1340 BC: Amarna Art.

About 2650 B.C., the Stepped Pyramid of King Zoser(above) of the Third Dynasty was raised at Saqqara, the ancient necropolis ("city of the dead") of Memphis, the capital city founded by Menes. The Stepped Pyramid began as a mastaba but was built upon, so it is not a true pyramid. It resembles an old Mesopotamian ziggurat, but unlike a ziggurat the Stepped Pyramid serves as a tomb rather than a temple platform. Its function was to protect the mummified king and his possessions for all eternity.
Above we have the Great Pyramids (Dynasty IV) of Gizeh. From left we have Menkaure (2525-2475 B.C.), Khafre (2575-2525 B.C), and Khufu (2600-2550 B.C.) The use of pyramids did not come about from necessity because the pharoahs could have gone on being buried within piling mastabas. The idea of the pyramid came about when it was said that their sun god, Re, had a fetish for pyramidal stone called the ben-ben. From then on in Egypt people believed their souls would be best preserved if contained within a pyramidal tomb.

Shown on the left is the middle aisle of the Hall of Pillars in the valley temple of the Pyramid of Khafre, Gizeh. It is from the fourth dynasty dating back to about 2575-2525 B.C. The valley temple of the Pyramid of Khafre was built using the post-and-lintel system in which horizontal beams, or "lintels," rest on upright supports, or "posts." At Gizeh, both the posts and lintels were enormous red-granite monoliths which were finely proportioned, skillfully cut and polished, and devoid of decoration. This plain, yet grand look helped to give the place a feeling of timelessness. They wanted these temples to symbolize all which is changeless and eternal.

To the left is a massive, block-stone statue called "Menkaure and Khamerenebty" from Gizeh. It too comes from the fourth dynasty which dates back to about 2525-2475 B.C. The artist chose to use slate carved straight off of a massive block. The reason is that his goal was to create a sculpture that would endure the test of time since the ka (the soul) returned to the statue after its body was decomposed. The statue is of a married couple, Menkaure and Khamerenebty. Menkaure's pose is canonical, that is, rigidly frontal with his arms hanging straight down tightly and close to his well-built body. His fists are clenched and his thumbs are forward. His leg is extended to the front, but there are no signs of contraposto; there is no shift in the angle of his hips. His wife is standing in a similar fashion, but her hands gently rest upon the body of her husband. Signs of affection and emotion are non-existant. The dark hue of the slate from which they were carved gives the piece a sort of timelessness for which their purpose was intended.

Above is Ka-Aper (Sheikh el Beled) from his mastaba tomb at Saqqara. This piece, which comes from the fifth dynasty, dates back to about 2500-2400 B.C and is a wood carving. Adhering to Egyptian conventions, the statue is is rigid and frontal. He also lacks the hip-shift which would give him a realistic touch. It was originally covered in plaster because that is what Egyptians used to do to wooden art works when the wood was very soft or unattractive.

This here is a fresco called "Geese." It comes from the mastaba tomb of Atet at Medum (Dynasty IV) dating back to 2600-2550 B.C. The medium used was tempera on plaster. It is a fresco secco (dry fresco), which means that it is not a true fresco. The geese, because they were below mankind, were represented optically unlike man who was represented ideally.

Pictured to the left is the Interior hall of the rock-cut tomb of Amenemhet, Beni Hasan. It came from the twelfth dynasty. It has "reserve" columns which serve no function; they were mere decorations. The columns shafts are fluted vertically for decoration. At this point Egyptian conventions have not changed. These people were quite stubborn. The walls of the tomb were also painted, and as usual, the same themes occured.

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Pictured above is the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. It comes from the nineteenth dynasty and emplys gigantism. Ramses, proud of his many campaigns to restore the empire, augmented his greatness by having four colossal images of himself in his temple's facade. Each colossi stands at about 65' high!

This (above) is the Hypostyle hall in the Temple of Amen-Re at Karnak dating back to 1275-1225 B.C. during the nineteenth dynasty. A hypostyle hall is one which has a roof supported by columns. The hall is lighted by clerestory windows. At this hall there are two different types of capitals, bud-shaped or bell-shaped (campaniform.)

Above is a fresco called "Musicians and Dancers" which comes from a wall painting from the tomb of Nebamun(?). This piece is transitional, from the New Kingdom. The figures in the picture are shown smiling, dancing, and having fun. The figures overlap and there is much evidence of movement in the way the womens' hairs are moving. They are shown in composite view and the musicians are shown sitting with their legs criss-cross-apple sauce.

Above is Akhenaton, pillar statue from the Temple of Amen-Re at Karnak from Dynasty XVIII. It is 13' high, gaunt, and frontal. It also have curves like a female model. The predilection for curved lines stresses the softness of the slack, big-hipped body, a far cry from Akhenaton's predecessors.

This last painting is called Last judgement of Hu-Nefer from his tomb at Thebes. It is a a nineteenth dynasty piece dating back to about 1290-1280 B.C. It is a painted papyrus scroll approximately 18" high. In it, Hu-Nefer is led into the hall of judgement by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming. Anubis is weighing the dead man's heart against the feather of of the goddess Maat, protectoress of truth and right. If his heart does not meaure up, his heart will be devoured by Ammit, a hybrid monster. This emphasizes the Egyptian belief in the importance of the Afterlife.