Egyptian Art and
Writing
The
Rosetta Stone
In 1799, Napoleon took a small
troop of scholars, linguists and
artists on a military expedition of
Egypt and found the Rosetta Stone
(named for the Rosetta coast of the
Mediterranean where it was
discovered)
Composed of three languages:
1) Formal Egyptian Hieroglyphic
2) Demotic (Late Egyptian)
3) Classical Greek
(which they knew how to read)
This stone became the key to
unlocking the meanings behind
Egyptian hieroglyphics!
• Egyptian writing is called hieroglyphics.
• Hieroglyphs were based on consonant sounds not
vowels
– consist of over 700 signs.
– usually words were written from right to left, but sometimes
scripts were also written from left to right, top to bottom,
and bottom to top.
The Egyptian art of
Writing
-
-
Reading/writing primarily happened in the temple or the pharaoh’s
residence
Highly respected the written word
The ancient Egyptians had the same word for writing as for drawing—
medu netcher—which meant literally “the words of the gods,” or
“divine words.”
Believed that texts were divinely inspired
Only about 4 out of 1000 could read or write
• The word “paper” comes from “papyrus”
• The ability to read and write was considered a very important
skill – earned you a high paying job and respect of others
– “Wealth and success is promised to the good pupil. If you have any sense,
you will be a scribe” (taken from an ancient text)
– “The metalsmith works in the heat of the furnace. He stinks like rotten fish
eggs” (taken from an ancient text)
• It took Egyptian boys (only those from rich families) several
years of hard work to learn to read and write.
– Trained from about 5-9 years old
• Wrote with pens made from reeds and dipped in ink made from
water and soot
• Not much is known about Egyptian schools
• Surviving texts show spelling mistakes with teachers’
corrections
• Discipline was strict – “A boy’s ear is in his back; he listens
when he is beaten”
Ancient Egyptian art is five
thousand years old.
Expressed in paintings and
sculptures, it was highly
symbolic and fascinating.
Despite the longevity of the
Egyptian civilization, the art
remained very much the
same. This is remarkable
considering how extreme the
differences in art expression
that have occurred in the
modern world in just the past
100 years or so.
Most Egyptian art is found
underground in tombs or in
the pyramids. Most of what
we know about Egyptian art
comes from the paintings
the Egyptians created in the
tombs of rich people when
they died.
Considering
these examples
of Egyptian art,
what would you
say about the
artistic style?
Frontalism
This is the name given to
the Egyptian style of
painting.
Realism was simply not a
goal of ancient Egyptian Art.
It is these very formal and
stylized rules that have
made Egyptian Art one of
the most widely recognized
forms of art in the world.
Every known piece of
Egyptian art was drawn in
this style.
Rules of Frontalism
Rule #1: Head/Face
- Head always in profile – but
ONLY the head
- Eye shown from a frontal view
- Faces shown as serene and
peaceful
Rule #2: Stance
- Body always shown
from a frontal view
- Both feet, legs,
arms, hands shown
- Legs face same way
as the head
- One foot in front of
the other
- Gods and pharaohs
have a rigid and
formal stance
Rule #3: Colour
- Men painted in
red ochre
- Women painted
in yellow ochre
- Other colours
used were
white, black,
blue and green
Rule #4: Scale
- Objects/people were not shown accurately in
terms of size
- The more important a person or object, the
larger it was eg. A man might be larger than a
group of trees
- A Pharaoh was always the largest figure in a
drawing
Rule #5: Proportions
- Hands and feet
often large
compared to the
rest of the body
To the ancient
Egyptians, their
schematic and
conceptual image of
the body mapped
within a grid system
was a divine gift that
would be spoiled by
any deviation from the
norm.
Ancient Egyptian art is
characterised by the idea of
order. Clear and simple lines
combined with simple
shapes and flat areas of
colour helped to create a
sense of order and balance in
the art of ancient Egypt.
Egyptian Funerary Art is the
most common painting found –
see handout