Ancient Egyptian Design Aesthetic
Environmental Roots of Art and Architecture in the Nile River Valley
Oct 13, 2009
Cities run vertically on an approximate north / south axis through the country where over ninety percent of the population are currently and traditionally based. Framing the rich soils of the valley are vertical cliffs and mountains that rise up from opposite sides holding the sands of the desert at bay.
Architecture of the Nile River Valley
This rectilinear geologic outline is represented in the façade of Egypt’s temples and palace structures. The sun moves consistently over the valley while the Nile flooded beneath it in the same pattern year after year. The solar disc of the gods rarely shares its sky as rain normally appears only three days per year.
Stability of Egyptian History Effect on Art and Architecture
The cultural tempo of ancient Egypt kept a similar beat for three thousand years. Although changes in dynastic claims and territory occurred, the religion and gods remained inconsistently consistent. The same characters, such as Isis, were in place but their purpose and image could change in minor degrees based on local traditions and political circumstances.
Materials of the Egyptians
Much of the surviving art and architecture was created for funerary, religious or political purposes. Highly prevalent are artifacts made of soft stones such as limestone, alabaster, schist and greywacke used for sculpture, relief’s and as a base for plastered surfaces.
Temples, palaces and architectural edifices along with outdoor or structural sculpture of political, religious and / or cultural importance were generally made of denser rock including quartzite, diorite, granodiorite, granite and basalt. Fired clay figures, painted wood, metal and semi-precious stones all have a place on the materials list of the ancient Egyptians.
Style and Form
Their aesthetic exudes a supreme elegance that rests in the sinuous and singular lines that outline each form, human, animal, god, or otherwise. Extremely conservative in their use of detail; intricacy was preserved for textural references such as depictions of their extraordinary wigs, bird feathers or the like.
The human body is primarily represented in an ideal state, powerful yet composed. If the representation is three dimensional, they are portrayed frontally, always facing straight ahead and appear to be stone come alive, as opposed to Greek statuary that appears as if life has chosen to inhabit the stone.
In situ, with placement between columns or in rectangular niches of architecture, their placements make visual sense. Some of the carving techniques, including maintaining stone between the appendages, add strength and solidity to the work both visually and structurally.
The vibrant paint palette consists of rich hues of blue, green, yellow, red, white and black. The best representation can be found in The Valley of the Workers near Luxor dating from the New Kingdom period of 1540 – 1069 BCE. The most recognizable color of the Egyptian palette is represented in the ceramic faience pieces of cerulean blue and deep turquoise, colors of the sky found reflected in the Nile.
The two-dimensional depictions in bas relief, paint or metal inlay are depicted in hierarchical multiple views forms, such as elevation or plan view, but laid out based on the most important object of the scene and from no specific view point.
This is a land whose geology and climate have indelibly stamped their presence upon the souls of its human inhabitants over the millennia. The ancient Egyptian aesthetic is clean, linear, graceful and, therefore, relatively easy to replicate in the ancient and modern eras. Egyptian motifs have been incorporated into the Empire, Neoclassical and Art Deco designs since the nineteenth century.
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