Egyptian Art, Sculpture, and Tombs

The way my mind works, visuals like the one in this ad often jar memories for me. For example, the positive space reminds me of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti (bust shown below in painted limestone), but I can't tell you what's being advertised! I know it's a stretch, but the ad sparked a memory and inspired this post about Egyptian art.

Nefertiti Sculpture (1350 BC),
Thutmose

It amazes me what I can remember from my childhood and what we studied in grade school. When I was in 6th grade, we had to give a presentation and report in Social Studies and I chose the topic of Egyptian Culture. Back then we didn't have MS-PowerPoint as a visual aid. I was, however, able to use a photocopier and was pretty good at drawing.

I also remember The Mummy movie (1999) starring Brendan Frasier, with Rachel Weisz as the reincarnation of a young Nefertiti.

The Mummy (1932), Grosz

The original 1932 film, The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff, was advertised on this poster by artist Karoly Grosz. It was expected to fetch $1M-1.5M at auction in 2018.

One of my wife's favorite movies is the epic 1963's Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor as the Queen of the Nile. Check out this list of 11 movies filmed in Egypt as compiled by Trafalgar's The Real World. I bet you didn't know that Bond Movie, The Spy Who Loved Me, was filmed in Egypt in 1977. Can you guess which other Bond movie was partially filmed in Cairo? Hints: Connery, casino.

William (c. 1961 BC – c. 1878 BC)

So, what else do I remember about Egyptian art? I recall an Egyptian blue (turquoise) hippo that is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Frankly, I didn't know him as William the Faience Hippopotamus. Faience refers to the sintered-quartz ceramic material from Ancient Egypt. The black lotus flower designs resemble Zentangles (organized doodling). I think I just came up with another art project for studying Line. It would be fun to decorate animal shapes cut out from brightly colored neon oaktag using black Sharpies.

The lotus flower represents reincarnation; after it closes at night, and disappears below the water surface, it emerges again in the morning. See the Top Important 35 Ancient Egyptian Symbols.

Tutankhamun & Ankhsenamun
(c. 1336-c.1327 BCE)

Much of Egyptian art was never meant to be viewed by the living but was created to be enjoyed by the entombed in the afterlife. Statuettes were placed in the tomb as eventual servants of its noble occupants. Its walls were painted with scenes of life activities and to show the path to the afterlife. This relief painting is from the golden throne of King Tutankhamun. The primary colors of yellow, red, and blue make the figures stand out against the golden background.

Sarcophagus Interior

San Jose, California houses one of the largest museums of Egyptian artifacts -- The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum -- including this sarcophagus of the Chantress of Amun-Re Dynasty 22. I am impressed by the artisan's ability to paint the interior surface of this wooden coffin with so many colorful details that have survived millenniums.

Death Mask of Tutankhamun

Probably the most recognizable work of ancient Egyptian art is the death mask of Tutankhamun. Housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, this golden treasure has traveled the world's museums. Such items are collectively known as Pharaonic antiquities.

Bastet (664–30 BC)

Many of the Egyptian deities were depicted with the head of a cat. The goddess Bastet had the power to transform herself into a cat. So respected and valued were cats that they were treated like royalty and even mummified when they died. The Sphinx has a human head and a lion's body.

Artists

Sphinx, Night (1925), Hiroshi Yoshida

Japanese artist, Yoshida Hiroshi, painted the Sphinx in watercolor in both daytime and night. The Great Sphinx of Giza is located on the west bank of the Nile River. Long ago, the limestone carving lost its nose and beard. Archaeologists have claimed that its likeness is of a Middle Kingdom pharaoh, Amenemhet II. From this angle, I see a profile of George Washington!

The Egyptians (c. 1893), Bernard

French Post-Impressionist, Émile Bernard (1868-1941), developer of Cloisonnism, painted The Egyptians during the decade when he lived in the Middle East beginning in 1893. He was friends with fellow artists Van Gogh and Gauguin. Gauguin's paintings of Tahitian women were much more colorful. This particular image reminds me of the work of German Expressionist, Max Beckmann. Both expressionists used simplified forms and flat areas of 'unnatural' colors separated by dark outlines.

Self-Portrait with a
Cigarette (1947),
Beckmann

Self-Portrait with a Cigarette
(1923), Beckmann

Somehow these three self-portraits of Beckmann resemble the figures in the above portrait of the three Egyptian women. The colors that Bernard chose and the highlighting of the faces, arms, and hands against the darker tones clinches it for me. Perhaps I'm simply recalling the hand next to the face. Or the torch burning (incense) like Beckmann's cigarette.

 

Self-Portrait in Tuxedo (1927),
Max Beckmann

Ta Matete (1892), Paul Gauguin

Finally, I'd like to finish with a painting by Paul Gauguin that shows five Tahitian women seated on a park bench. It is reminiscent of the ancient Egyptian two-dimensional paintings seen on the walls of tombs. Most of the figures are also shown in profile view, much like those painted in ancient times.