Text | Long Yue Tan
Editor|Long Yue Tan
●○ Introduction ○●
The works of art of ancient Egyptian civilization occupy an important position in the entire history of art, among which relief art is one of the representatives of ancient Egyptian civilization.
In ancient Egyptian art, the use of relief techniques was quite common, and it was widely used not only in the decoration of buildings and frescoes in tombs, but also in carving burial chambers in mausoleums and the interior of temples.
This article will provide a detailed analysis of the style, form and technique of ancient Egyptian relief art.
①
●○ Definition and classification of relief art ○●
Relief art is a three-dimensional sculptural art form that protrudes images or patterns from flat or shallow surfaces, this art form can be used to decorate buildings, monuments, mausoleums, statues, utensils and walls, etc., and is widely used in many different cultures and periods.
During the European Renaissance, relief art became popular again and was widely used in architecture, sculpture and painting.
High relief refers to relief protruding from the background, often used in the decoration of buildings, such as the capitals and vaults of Greek and Roman buildings, high relief is characterized by a high degree of convexity, three-dimensionality, can present more details.
Bas-reliefs refer to reliefs that protrude from flat or shallow surfaces, often used for decoration on tombstones and monuments, bas-reliefs are characterized by a relatively low degree of image convexity, suitable for presenting simple shapes and lines.
Round sculpture refers to a complete sculpture work, usually a three-dimensional figure, animal or scene from a mythological story, round sculpture is characterized by the fact that it can be viewed from multiple angles, presenting a more realistic image.
Flat depiction refers to the engraving of patterns and images on the plane, often used to decorate paper, ceramics and glass, etc., flat depiction is characterized by rich lines and details, but lack of three-dimensionality.
Shadow highlighting is a technique that creates a shadow effect by adjusting the surface of the relief, thereby increasing the realism and three-dimensionality of the relief.
Background color method is a technique to emphasize the three-dimensional sense and details of the image by coating different colors of paint on the surface of the relief, relief art is a widely used art form, its classification mainly depends on the depth, three-dimensional sense and use of the relief.
Various types of relief art have their own unique styles and techniques, which provide us with a richer visual experience for understanding and appreciating relief art, and for artists, proficiency in various types of relief art can create richer and more realistic works.
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●○ Themes and forms of relief art ○●
Ancient Egyptian relief art is an important part of ancient Egyptian art, its themes and forms have unique characteristics, the following is a detailed introduction to the themes and forms of ancient Egyptian relief art:
First of all, religion is one of the main themes of ancient Egyptian relief art, ancient Egyptian religion is a very important cultural element, which is the basis of the daily life and social structure of the ancient Egyptian people.
Therefore, religious themes occupied a considerable proportion in the works of art of ancient Egypt, and relief art often used temples or tombs as carriers, showing various gods and rituals.
For example, the common statue of the sun god Amun, the statue of the wind god Horos, the snake god Apis, etc. common in ancient Egyptian relief art are all important deities in ancient Egyptian religion, in addition, ancient Egyptian relief art also depicts religious themes such as temple construction, mythological stories, sacred ceremonies and so on.
Secondly, history is also an important theme of ancient Egyptian relief art, which has a long history and rich historical materials and traditions.
Therefore, many works with historical themes can also be seen in ancient Egyptian relief art, including relief statues with the theme of pharaohs of all generations, relief paintings with historical events as the background, etc., reflecting the splendor and glory of ancient Egyptian history through the reproduction of historical events and characters.
War was also an important theme in ancient Egyptian relief art, and in ancient Egyptian history, war was an important social phenomenon, often associated with the competition and expansion of ruling power.
In the relief art of ancient Egypt, many works depicting war scenes and weapons and equipment, such as archers, chariots and war elephants, can be seen, which usually reflect the attitude of the ancient Egyptian people to war and the development of war technology.
In addition, agriculture is also one of the important themes of relief art in ancient Egypt, located in the Nile River Valley, with fertile land and abundant water resources.
Therefore, agriculture has an important position in ancient Egyptian society, and in the relief art of ancient Egypt, you can see many works depicting agricultural production and peasant life, such as harvesting, farming, irrigation and other scenes, which reflect the importance of the ancient Egyptian people to agriculture and the development of agricultural technology.
Finally, royal power is also an important theme in the art of relief sculpture in ancient Egypt, which has a long history and rich traditions and cultural connotations.
In the relief art of ancient Egypt, you can see many works depicting pharaohs and royal family members, such as royal priests, court officials, etc., which reflect the strength and majesty of ancient Egyptian royal power, and also show the reverence and awe of the ancient Egyptian people for royal power.
The themes of ancient Egyptian relief art are wide and rich, showing the diversity and uniqueness of ancient Egyptian culture, and providing valuable artistic heritage and research materials for future generations of artists and scholars.
The forms of ancient Egyptian relief art are also very unique, the most typical of which is the "flat three-dimensional" style, which is usually carved into pillars, coffins and the walls of funerary places, showing a pronounced linear structure, presenting three-dimensional images on a flat surface.
In addition, ancient Egyptian relief art is also mainly decorative relief, often using different geometric patterns and ornaments to decorate walls and pillars, in the carving technique, ancient Egyptian relief artists often use "bas-relief" and "shadow highlighting" techniques, so that the relief image is more real and three-dimensional.
In addition, ancient Egyptian relief art also has the characteristics of the era in form, and early ancient Egyptian relief art is dominated by mysterious and simple lines, emphasizing symbols and symbols, such as the hieroglyphs of the famous Egyptian pyramids.
Ancient Egyptian relief art in the Middle Period placed more emphasis on image and structure, and the proportions and anatomy of statues were more accurate, while in the New Kingdom, ancient Egyptian relief art placed more emphasis on decoration and luxury, often setting gemstones and metals on relief images.
The theme and form of ancient Egyptian relief art show the unique style of ancient Egyptian culture and art, through which we can feel the religious belief, historical inheritance and aesthetic taste of the ancient Egyptians.
The uniqueness and diversity of its themes and forms also make ancient Egyptian relief art have an important position and value in the history of world art.
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●○ Techniques of relief art ○●
The first is chiseling, where ancient Egyptian artists used tools such as copper chisels and stone chisels to chisel off the surface of stones layer by layer to present images.
In the process of chiseling, the artist needs to accurately grasp the depth and angle of the chiseling to achieve the desired effect, and some relief works are coated with a thin layer of gold leaf on the surface to increase their luster and gorgeousness.
The second is cutting, which refers to cutting down layer by layer on the surface of the stone to present an image, which is more delicate and delicate than chiseling, and is suitable for making fragile parts, such as the fingers and facial expressions of characters.
Deep and light carving is a technique that can carve bas-relief or deep relief on stones to show different effects, and when carving deep and light relief, the artist needs to master the strength and angle of the blade, as well as the depth and shallowness of the cut, so as to form a sense of layering.
Imprinting is a technique of pressing the image on the stone, ancient Egyptian artists use copper or bronze impressions, the line or concave surface of the image is pressed on the stone, so as to form a relief, the imprint technique is suitable for making relief works with relatively simple patterns and clear lines.
Polishing is an important technique in ancient Egyptian relief art to add luster and texture to the relief work, and the artist will use sand, sandpaper and water to polish the relief work until its surface is smooth as a mirror.
In some works, a layer of color is added after polishing to enhance its visual effect.
Ancient Egyptian relief art techniques are very diverse, artists need to flexibly use different techniques, to express different themes and forms, through these techniques, ancient Egyptian artists have created many beautiful, eternal relief works.
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●○ Stylistic characteristics of relief art ○●
The stylistic characteristics of ancient Egyptian relief art mainly include expressive techniques, human images and subject content.
The first is the method of expression, ancient Egyptian relief art is based on the plane, emphasizing the clarity and simplicity of the lines, rather than the detailed depiction.
It uses deep and light engravings and bas-reliefs to create a sense of layering, highlighting the outline and form of the image, but does not pay attention to the treatment of light and shadow, in terms of composition, ancient Egyptian relief art pays attention to symmetry, balance, and the repetition and arrangement of geometric figures.
The second is the human figure, in ancient Egyptian relief art, the figure is usually mainly sideways, and the head, torso and limbs of the figure are presented in a lateral posture.
In addition, the figures in ancient Egyptian relief art usually have standardized characteristics, such as small proportions of the head, large proportions of the body, eyes presenting a forward perspective, and hands and feet with fixed postures and positions, which reflect the religious and social structure of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Finally, the subject matter of ancient Egyptian relief art covers religion, history, war, agriculture and other aspects, among which religious themes are the most prominent, showing the mystery and majesty of ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
There are also a large number of works depicting high-ranking social figures such as pharaohs, queens, and nobles in ancient Egyptian relief art, which emphasize the characteristics of the social hierarchy and power structure of the time.
The style characteristics of ancient Egyptian relief art are mainly manifested in the expression technique, character image and subject content, which reflect the unique characteristics of ancient Egyptian civilization and become an important reference and reference object for later artists.
⑤
●○ Conclusion ○●
To sum up, ancient Egyptian relief art is one of the outstanding representatives of ancient civilization, it is famous for its unique style and techniques, plane carving, round carving, shadow highlighting and background color method are common techniques in ancient Egyptian relief art, they all add color to the three-dimensional sense and realism of the image.
The stylistic characteristics of ancient Egyptian relief art are mainly reflected in composition and image expression, and its figures usually present a formal posture, wearing traditional clothing and ornaments, and the use of colors and patterns is also an important part of ancient Egyptian relief art.
●○ References ○●
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