Human Features in the Art during the Amarna Period

Human Features in the Art during the Amarna Period

Most ancient Egyptian artwork was found in the tombs and temple walls in the form of paintings and sculptures, indicating that they were highly religious. The purpose of this artwork had two primary goals. First of all, it was to praise the pharaoh and gods and demonstrate the notion of life after death. Second, artworks were used to preserve the culture and narrate the history of Egyptian. All arts adhered to the traditional rules, which were highly characterized by artistic expression and creativity. Moreover, they had unique features, such as stone carving and hieratic form of painting. The ancient Egypt artwork is divided into different periods, including Amarna, which marked a significant difference from the rest. During this era, Pharaoh Akhenaton revolutionized Egyptian culture by introducing the worship of one god and moved the royal court to Amarna, which led to drastic changes in arts. The artistic works during this period portray men, including the pharaoh, as more feminine.

Artists during the Amarna period portrayed pharaoh differently compared to the previous period with strange features. In this case, Akhenaton depicted with a strangely large head, long neck, and wide lips. His waist and shoulders are narrow and a pointed chin. He has rounded belly, dropping features, and spindly legs. The pharaoh has curvaceous thighs and large buttocks while the drooping belly covers the kilt waistband. His short legs and arms appendages are thin and do not have musculature and have drooping breasts. The artistic representation of the Egyptian pharaoh during the Amarna era is different from all other periods, which are idealized depictions of physically, rugged feminine men.

Although the king is depicted to a certain extent feminine, the art differentiates him from a female figure. Apart from his clothes, one apparent distinction is the genital parts. The female lower part of the body, including the pubic area, thighs, and stomach, can be seen because the dress is transparent, which is an entirely different case when it comes to the king’s figures. The approach of depicting women in such a way was not introduced during the Amarna era. Because the transparent dress outlining the shape of the body was supposed to make people concentrate on the pubic area, presenting the idea of female fertility. The image of Nefertiti, the wife of the Akhenaten and one of the most famous queens in Egyptian history, has these characteristics since she symbolizes the cosmic women’s standards and values. Male figures during the Amarna period are somewhat feminine, but a notable difference exists illustrated by dress and pubic area.

Other non-royal people were also presented in a new style of art similar to the king’s images. They were also portrayed with pronounced buttocks, sagging stomachs, narrow shoulders, and a large skull. However, a deliberate feature was made to differentiate between the royal and non-royal people. In this case, the non-royal individuals are demonstrated with both feet shown from the inside while the far feet and near of royal people are differentiated. Besides, non-royal figures did not have loose facial features, and could not be portrayed in an exact manner as pharaoh, even though their models followed the image of the king. When a pharaoh is represented in artwork, he always appears huge than other images of people, whereby the social status of a person determined the size of the painting. Moreover, the king was depicted uniquely mainly because of religious purposes; he was the symbol of Aten, the god of the sun. Other people apart from the royal family could worship the Aten via their king, indicating the distinctions between the ordinary people and gods. The variation was more significant and apparent during the Amarna period and was mainly meant to note the difference between the gods and ordinary Egyptians.

The idea of presenting men to some degree as feminine has attracted the attention of the gay society. Even though it is an idea that cannot be discarded easily, it lacks scholarly evidence. Moreover, enough evidence illustrating a loving relationship between pharaoh and his wife is found in different walls of monuments. However, this could have been false information provided to the public or indicate the state of denial by the pharaoh. He might have had such intentions, but it does not mean he acted upon them or understood himself because men compared themselves to bulls to emphasize their male potency. Moreover, during the Amarna period, the physical composition of the figures was different from previous times. Most of the scenes demonstrate the king as father nurturing his children, which was a rare case with previous pharaohs. The family was presented as part of the daily activities of the king. The Akhenaten fathered many children as portrayed in many inscriptions, but it is apparent his interests are different from other pharaohs.

Many scholars have tried to explain the drastic change in Egyptian art, but no substantial evidence to support these claims. Most of them believe that the pharaoh suffered from a particular illness where some indicate that it was Bilharzial infection, and others suggest that it was tuberculosis. Other scholars are against disease arguments and assert that Akhenaten was a cartoon model figure and that why he was presented in such a way. Therefore, the art was representing the physical features of the pharaoh, but in a falsification form of an expressionist. The proponent of the disease arguments posits that because he was the ruler of the land, other people should be illustrated in the same way to camouflage the king’s issues artistically. Other scholars think that the new style was possibly supposed to make a religious declaration. They argue that since pharaoh was a symbol of Aten here on earth, the king intended his figures to include both female and male. Further, they argue that the new style of art was related to religious transformation because the emergence of modern art is in line with the beginning of monotheistic. Archeological and historical evidence indicate that Akhenaten had children and inclusion of delicate female features in creative work portrays of pharaoh relate the king to Aten. Therefore, it is not clear why Akhenaten chose to be depicted to his people as androgynous.

During the Amarna period, men are depicted as more feminine with no compelling reasons for any particular argument concerning the way figures were presented and drastic change from the previous period.  Although people are represented in the same manner, a notable difference exists between the royals and non-royals individuals. The social status of an individual merely determined the size of the figure. Most artwork of ancient Egyptians involves the portrayal of goddesses and gods, including pharaoh, demonstrating that they were religious people. However, the artistic depiction of Akhenaten sends a different message, and with such features, the pharaoh seems effeminate, sickly, and a weary person. The drastic changes in the artwork during the Amarna period without clear explanations make it the most mysterious era in Egyptian art and history.