The Art of Akhenaten – Paper

The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of can shrine and Akhenaten Ma powerfulness Offerings The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of rest home Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings One of the most enigmatic pharaohs of Egyptian history, Amenhotep IV, had self-aggrandising up in the most powerful family in ancient Egypt. once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypts empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his take a shit to Akhenaten, exertionive spirit of Aten, and was cognise to the people as the heretic king.Early in his rein, Akhenaten encouraged ideas by using contrivance as a dash of emphasizing his political and religious intentions of doing things differently therefore, changing Egyptian society. This was consecutive for the following reasons. Politically, when Akhenaten denounced the state deities, he altered the finesseistic creationistic style and proficiency of ancient Egypt, by the intimate settings and placements of him and his royal family. Religiously, the forced monotheistic righteousness was artistically stylized by having the new deity, Aten, as the main subject field in his reliefs.These emphases were what came to be know as Amarna art, an erratic, sensual, new style of art that celebrated the vibrancy and movement of the real world during Akhenatens reign. Akhenatens famous two relief sculptures, Ho intent Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings, spring the revolutionary changes in art and religion andtherefore of politics during the reign of this monotheistic pharaoh. Akhenaten and his family were the only royal family that was intimately described by the king as displaying have sex and devotion under the protection of Aten.In House Shrine (figure 1), the limestone stele, depicts faggot Akhenaten and his sanctum Family starring his wife Queen Nefertiti and his two daughters. It was mean to be stored in a private room in the Amarna palace. The stele is decorated with an intimate scene showing the daily life of the Holy Family. The sculptors color choice of bright, yellow limestone back downground shown in this art piece complements the sun that shines down on all the individuals. The use of fine lines emphasizes the sun shining down on Akhenaten and his family.This sense of weakly source by both the sun and indirectly by the family expresses that they atomic number 18 dependable of love and happiness. Often convictions bright colors ar associated with love and happiness, such as this yellow limestone stele. The deep-set relief technique is besides used. As Janson explained in his text it was a popular technique amongst Egyptian art sculptures. In this technique, the sculptor cut sharp outlines into the stones face, and modeled the figures within the outlines, below the level of the background, rather than carving away(p) the surface near figures to allow them to emerge from the stone.Light shining onto the stones surface then cast shadows into the out-lines, animating the figures without compromis ing the solid planar appearance of the wall. In this art piece the sunken relief technique gives further emphasis of the sun above shining over them and creates shadows passim the art piece by the deep incisions of the curved lines on the back of power Akhenatens neck and Queen Nefertitis right shoulder tracing down her arm. In addition, there are deep incisions along the outline of his children, which give the shadows symbolism that presents the whole family as the focal commove of the piece.However, the incisions along the children do not run as heavy as the ones on Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the sun god. By using heavier incisions it gives the idea that these three figures are of greater importance. In conclusion, the choice of color gives the mood of the stele, the lines tell us the focal point and establishes the important figures. Overall, this piece is well put together. In the beginning of Akhenatens religious re nisus, the official state religion was so far based on p olytheism with Amun rising above other deities throughout unpolluted Egyptian art.During his third reign, Akhenaten started to build his own public synagogue, near the temple of Amun at Karnak. This first act as king brought with him a shameful speculation and hostility between his throne and the priesthood of Amun. Inside the temple was an entirely new style of art, which was oftentimes described, as naturalistic in Akhenatens portrayal of the human carcass. No longer was the Pharaoh portrayed as fractional animal with the perfect body fitted for the afterlife. Akhenaten and the royal family were shown with long toes, massive hips, super long fingers, skinny torso, ample breasts, big buttocks, and an elongated face.This exaggeration of the royal familys bodies altered classic Egyptian art and became better known as Amarna Art. Another astonishing act to this religious revolution was the Akhenatens order of the construction of a new capital of the United States, far to the north of Thebes known as Amarna, horizon of the sun, claiming the sun god lead him there. A fewer years after, Akhenaten do the decision to abandon Thebes and ordered his people to close up up and leave behind the city built by his start to receive the blessings of Aten in the city of Amarna.Shortly thereafter, he abolished traditional gods and goddesses, declaring one monotheistic deity, Aten, and introduced in art as a more intimate devotion in public and personal settings of the royal family, receiving blessings from Aten, and showing mean solar day to day life and activities. A classic example of the radical transformation of Egyptian state religion is found on the Royal Tomb in Amarna, Akhenaten Making Offerings (figure 2), depicting Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti carrying flowers to be laid on the table beneath the life-giving rays of the Aten with his two eldest daughters behind him praying and pass gifts.In Akhenatens hands are four flowers that represent his minor wives Merytaten, Kiya, Mekytaten, and Ankhesenpaaten. What made this piece so alarming to the Egyptians is the misshapen facial structure and body style of Akhenaten and the royal family, and the worshipping of a single god. Starting at the guide of Akhenaten Making Offerings there isa subtle linear band qualifying across the fragment, which is a hieroglyph for sky. The open space with the round geometrical shape in the sky symbolizes the royal family is open to worship.King Akhenaten, standing in front of Queen Nefertiti, bathing in the rays of the Aten, could symbolize that he was the unaccompanied priest of his monotheistic religion. As giver and sustainer of life, Atens rays of light form a radial path that begins from the sun and, ifone looks closely, hell notice the rays of light end in hands holding ankhs, the hieroglyph for life. This characteristic is often repeated in Akhenatens art pieces, including the House Shrine. The outline of the rays forms a triangular pyr amid. In ancient times pyramids were built as a guise to protect the deceased pharaohs as they traveled to the afterlife.Similar to the House Shrine, the sunken relief technique is used to covey the importance of the figures. The heavy incisions almost Aten, behind the Pharaoh and his wife, emphasize them as the main focal point of the art piece and the importance of their religious standing with Aten. The dark underline around Aten creates a dark shadow symbolizing his great power as the monotheistic deity. The curved lines behind Akhenaten and his family could symbolize a shadow effect since Aten is placed in front of the family and the lines around the front side of the figures are a lot finer.The shocking effect this piece had on the Egyptians was King Akhenatens way of stating his radical vision of breaking Egyptian tradition. Furthermore, King Akhenatens abandonment of the traditional gods and roles of kingship also took a toll on Egypts political status seen in his art by wo rshipping Aten. inclose inside his newly construed city, obsessed with his monotheistic religion, he spent teensy to no time on his foreign personal business and more time posing with his family for the sculptor.The military pleaded for support against enemy attacks, but King Akhenaten was put off with building more temples of Aten so that he and his family would always be protected. This was interpret in his art by showing Aten placing the sunrays over his family as a symbol of protection. In the backlash that followed during the end of his reign, the people and the kingship referred to him as the wide Criminal. And in the events following his death, the misshapen face and body get of Akhenaten and his family were rubbed and broken off.Amarna art was desecrated and traditional Egyptian art was reinstated. His capital was destroyed, the people re rancid to Thebes, and after awhile his image was abandoned, and the heretic king was forgotten. In conclusion, three thousand years ago, in the short time of the Amarna period, Akhenaten turned Egypt upside down by breaking classical Egyptian art tradition and announcing a new deity. During that time, capitals were moved, religious ideas developed and flourished, foreign affairs depleted, and artistic changes took place in art within the walls of the court.