Eternal Egypt...

[fajrdrako]

I went to see the Eternal Egypt exhibition today, at the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal. I loved it. Of course I would! It was in more or less chronological order. One thing I noticed: the distinct individuality of each piece, even though ancient Egyptian art was so much of its own recognizable style, there were changes with time and circumstances - that sometimes changed back, since as the exhibit points out, Egyptians were in love with their own past and like to recreate ancient styles. Then break the mould again.

I found it remarkable how many Pharaohs there were, and how little I know about so many of them, how unfamiliar some of them were. And gods, too.

A few high points:

• The statue of Horemheb, who succeeded Tutankhamun. I knew him from The Lost Queen of Egypt, one of my favourite books when I was young. It was like seeing an old friend. But as it happens, this statue of Horemheb was actually a statue of Tutanhamun, with Tut's features: Horemheb simply had his name added to it. I find that fascinating, endearing, intriguing.



• A head (in granite) of a beautiful child, thought to be Tutankhamum. One of the museum notes said that Tutankhamun was probably Akhenaten's son. Really? That was new to me.



• Thutmose III was also beautiful.



• A huge and beautiful stone lion which once guarded the temple of Amenhotep III. Its paws were crossed, its expression thoughtful.



• One of the museum notes talked about the 'saite smile' on the faces of some of the statues, which they described as "a subtle grin with a deeply carved lower lip" - "a pleasant attribute". Why did this make me think of Lex Luthor? (Because I'm an obsessive fan, that's why! And maybe also because I wrote about Lex as an ancient Egyptian.)



• There were some studies of artists' work, showing how they set the stone up to carve their reliefs, with the area ruled into squares, the figures drawn in with ink, then carved - outlines first, details later, then a paint overlay. There was even an example of an artists' palette, on an elongated board.



• The sheer age of these things is breathtaking. Carvings, painting on papyrus, reliefs - showing people, and made by people, who died more than four thousand years ago. Four thousand years. And so like us. In some ways it seems so long. In other ways, it's nothing.



• There was a beautiful sandstone relief of the god Khnum. Who is Khnum? I must look him up. There's something about him here, which I will read when I have time. Lord of the flowing waters... pottery, fertility. Hmm.



• The earliest statues - they were statuettes, really - were made of wood and the people depicted, though royal and noble, were naked. The later in time, them more clothes they wore.





• One of the pictures used in their publicity is a painting on a mummy case from Ptolemaic times, of a beautiful woman with short, dark hair. It's a Greek-style painting; one could almost call it a painting in the modern style. Representational. Looks as if you could speak to her, and she would speak back. Beautiful, but why do I find it a let-down after all the Egyptian formalism? Why do I love the Egyptian style so much?

Comments

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

One of the museum notes talked about the 'saite smile' on the faces of some of the statues, which they described as "a subtle grin with a deeply carved lower lip" - "a pleasant attribute". Why did this make me think of Lex Luthor?

Because you're craaaaaaaaaaazy. And I really like Egyptian styles too. They're very formal and static, but there's something about them that's so amazingly lifelike...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Because you're craaaaaaaaaaazy.

True. And perhaps self-evident.

They're very formal and static, but there's something about them that's so amazingly lifelike...

Yes. They seem to capture the spirit of their age with such simplicity, and such beautiful lines. As if they could see through to the essence of things.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

True. And perhaps self-evident.

Don't worry. I'm crazy too. And you're right. I love the lines on Egyptian statues.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It makes me want to surround myself with Egyptian statues. The rooms in the museum were sparse, but there were some interesting bits of decor - a wall, for example, painted with the long stems/flowers of the lotus in Egyptian style. I could do that in my living room. Hmm.

I already have Egyptian art on my walls - behind me, photos taken by a friend (a professional photographer) when he was in Egypt; beside me, a photo and a poster of pyramids; further on the same wall, a picture of the statue of Anubis from Tutankhamun's tomb. There was a lot more, but it has been replace, selectively, by Smallville and Lord of the Rings art.

[chazzbanner.livejournal.com]

>>Thutmose III was also beautiful.<<
Isn't he though! I'll admit to having a crush on him. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Having just seen him - yes! He's gorgeous. Add him to the list of historical people I have a thing for.

[spherissa.livejournal.com]

A head (in granite) of a beautiful child, thought to be Tutankhamum. One of the museum notes said that Tutankhamun was probably Akhenaten's son. Really? That was new to me.


yes and if that's of interest you might want to look up Smenkhare..

Amarna it's enough to make one all weepy

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

you might want to look up Smenkhare

Smenkhare - yes! He's fascinating. Do you know a good source for Smenkhare information? The last thing I read was an essay describing the love poetry Akhnaten wrote for him. This is from about a decade ago.

I must read some of the more up to date information.

Amarna - ooh, it would be a joy to write about it. What fascinating people they were.