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Image: Akhenaten and the Aten

Kim Jackson, an art writer for the San Diego Examiner has an excellent article on how a new style of Egyptian art appeared during the Amarna Age. The article deals with the characteristics of portraits of individuals in monuments and how Amarna period art is different from more conventional Egyptian art styles. Her article is beautifully illustrated with pictures from the Amarna period. The following is an excerpt from the article:

During Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, the Pharaoh Akhenaten took the throne. He brought a monotheistic religion into being, based on the worship of the Aten, a sun god. Artistic changes followed political upheaval, although some stylistic changes are apparent before his reign. A new style of art was introduced that was more naturalistic than the stylized frieze favored in Egyptian art for the previous 1700 years. After Akhenaten’s death, however, Egyptian artists reverted to their old styles, although there are many traces of this period’s style in late art.

The Ancient Egyptian art style known as Amarna Art was a style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period (i.e. during and just after the reign of Akhenaten in the late 18th Dynasty), and it is noticeably different from more conventional Egyptian art styles.

It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images, with figures having raised heads, many figures overlapping and many scenes are crowded and very busy. The illustration of hands and feet were obviously thought to be important, shown with long and slender fingers, and great pains were gone to be show fingers and finger nails. Flesh was shown as being dark brown, for both males and females (contrasted with the more normal dark brown for males and light brown for females) – this could merely be convention, or depict the life blood. As is normal in Egyptian art, commoners are shown with 2 left feet (or 2 right feet).

The depiction of the Royal Family is often seen as being informal, intimate and with a family closeness, but this hides the conventions of the style. Central to most scenes is the disc of the Aten, shining down on the Royal Family and literally giving life and prosperity to Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Royalty are shown with left and right feet, each with a big toe. Their heads are elongated.

Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Akhenaten, Amarna Age, Archaeology, Art, Egypt

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