
Old Kingdom
(about 3100 to 2200 BC) Egyptian sculpture is best described by the terms cubic and
frontal. The block of stone was first made rectangular; the design of the figure was then
drawn on the front and the two sides. The resulting statue was intended to be seen mainly
from the front. Since it was meant to be a timeless image intended to convey the essence
of the person depicted, there was no need for it to be composed in the round. The
sculptures often did not depict movement; instead, the person was either standing up
straight with their arms at their sides or sitting down with their hands on their knees.
The purpose was to convey that the person was resting. Sculptures were not always of
simply one person, but also of pairs or groups. If a person was of some importance (i.e. a
member of the royal
family), their sculpture was made of stone, wood, or (rarely) metal.
Then the surface was painted, and the eyes were inlaid with materials, such as rock
crystal, to give the sculpture a more lifelike appearance.
Middle Kingdom (about 2201 to 1600 BC) Egyptian
sculpture is often described as an attempt at realism and exhibits an interest in reality.
Images of the pharaohs were not idealized to the point of being godlike. For the first
time, the face had lifelike bone structure and expression, unlike the idealized
emotionless features of Old Kingdom sculptures.
New Kingdom (about 1601 to 1550 BC) Egyptian
sculpture combined nobility with intricate details. Rulers portraits were colored in
such a way that expressed a sense of grace as well as sensitivity. A well-known New
Kingdom statue is that of Ramses II in the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Ramses II was one of
the most notorious builders of his time and erected statues of himself throughout Egypt.
Bibliography
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