TOPIC ESSAY QUESTION I

Essay 2b

Completeness and Truth

Source Link Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris

Question: How is it possible that what the Egyptians considered “completeness”, could be misinterpreted as crude, naïve, or unrealistic and how does it affect the “truth” contained in their art?

Part One:

Summary: While answering the question, I was able to get a better understanding on the connection between the Egyptians’ beliefs, more specifically the afterlife, and their art. By focusing more on their religion, I was able to organize my thoughts and find the answer to my questions.

Reason: The reason this question was asked is so that we can explore the Ancient Egyptian culture more in-depth and gain a better understanding of their art.

Purpose: The purpose this question was asked is so that we can understand the reason for which the Egyptians created their art the way they did. In doing so, we may come to realize that we consider being crude and naïve was the truth to them.

 Direction: The first thing that popped into my mind was the correlation between the paintings in the pyramids and the afterlife. I have always enjoyed Egyptian art and architecture, and knew some things about the Egyptians’ belief in the afterlife. I hoped that by understanding more of their beliefs I could also find out about their art. I wanted to know the purpose for which they drew human figures in such an awkward and unrealistic pose.

Impressions: Even though I had a small understanding of the Egyptians, I was surprised by some of the things I came across. I was surprised by how much math played a role in their art and architecture. They used mathematics not only for building but also for their renderings, using specific ratios.

Part Two:

                The Egyptians were a very religious people. They believed that the universe – “the movements of heavenly bodies, the working of gods, and the humblest of human activity [– was a] part of a balanced and harmonious grand design” (Art History, 4^th Edition, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.50). Above all, they believed in order. Those who lived in such a way to disrupt that order were to be punished in the afterlife, and those who lived righteously could live on eternally.

                Most of the Egyptian art was tied in to their beliefs of the afterlife. They believed that the ka, or life force, lived on after the death of the body and could participate in activities it enjoyed when the person was alive (Art History, 4^th Edition, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.53). The ka needed a home and a body to live in. “It was especially important to provide a comfortable home for the ka of a departed king, so that even in the afterlife he would continue to ensure the well-being of Egypt” (Art History, 4^th Edition, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.53). The living quarters for the ka were decorated with paintings and reliefs, which depicted parts of the deceased’s everyday life or ceremonial events that proclaimed the deceased’s importance (Art History, 4^th Edition, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.61).

                The paintings that decorate the walls of the tombs in Egypt have provided a wealth of information of Egyptian history. “It was the artists’ task to preserve everything as clearly and permanently as possible” (http://www.aldokkan.com/art/painting.htm). However, when we look at the figures painted, they are depicted in poses that would be impossible in real life: the heads are shown at a profile, the eyes are rendered frontally, the torso is fully frontal, the hips and legs are at a profile, and the figure is striding to reveal both legs. Not only that, but the figures were also rigid and flat; there was no attempt at illusionary three-dimensionality. This is due to the fact that the artist drew from memory images in such a way that the each body part was represented from its most characteristic angle (Art History, Portable 3^rd Edition, M. Stokstad, p. 54).

The Egyptians wanted a sense of order and balance within their art, and, to achieve this, they followed already-established conventions, such as mathematical formulas to determine proportions and simplified drawings and contours. The artists even “established an ideal of the human form, following a canon of proportions. The ratios between a figure’s height and all of its component parts were clearly prescribed” (Art History, Portable 3^rd Edition, M. Stokstad, p. 54). What we deem to be crude, naïve or unrealistic – that is to say, the impossible pose and flat figures – the Egyptians called completeness. The fact that the images were drawn unrealistically does not take away from the truth of their art. What is truth but a perception! What we consider to be the truth is affected by our beliefs. Everything that they did had order, balance, and harmony that was deeply connected to their beliefs, and THAT was their truth.