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Ancient Egypt Art "The greatest element in this civilization was its Art" The greatest element in this civilization was its art. Here, almost at the threshold of history, we find an art powerful and mature, superior to that of any modern nation, and equaled only by that of Greece. Ancient Egypt Art At first the luxury of isolation and peace, and then, under Thutmose III and Rameses II, the spoils of oppression and war, gave to Egypt the opportunity and the means for massive architecture, masculine statuary, and a hundred minor arts that so early touched perfection. The whole theory of progress hesitates before Egyptian art. Architecture Ancient Egypt Architecture Architecture was the noblest of the ancient Egypt arts, because it combined in imposing form mass and duration, beauty and use. Architecture began humbly in the adornment of tombs and the external decoration of homes. Sculpture Egypt Art Sculpture The Egyptians were the greatest builders in history. Some would add that they were also the greatest sculptors. Here at the outset is the Sphinx, conveying by its symbolism the leonine quality of some masterful Pharaoh perhaps Khafre-Chephren; it has not only size, as some have thought, but character. Painting Ancient Egypt Art Painting In Egypt, except during the reign of the Ptolemies and under the influence of Greece, painting never rose to the status of an independent art; it remained an accessory to architecture, sculpture and relief, the painter filled in the outlines carved by the cutting tool. But though subordinate, it was ubiquitous. Bas-Relief Ancient Egypt Bas-relief Ancient Egypt Bas-relief is a liaison between sculpture and painting. Architecture and Sculpture are the major Egyptian arts; but if abundance counted, bas-relief would have to be added to them. No other people so tirelessly carved its history or legends upon its walls. Artists Ancient Egypt Art Artists It is exceptional that their names survive, for in most cases the artists whose labors preserved the features or memory of princes, priests and kings had no means of transmitting their own names to posterity. We hear of Imhotep, the almost mythical architect of Zoser's reign; of Ineni, who designed great buildings like Der-el-Bahri for Thutmose I. You may also be interested in... Brief Tour in Ancient Egypt Queen Cleopatra of Egypt Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt History Egypt News, Stories, Articles Egypt Maps & Facts Return to Life in Ancient Egypt Return Home