The Difference in the Representation of People
Humans are central figures in the work of many eras. Ever since humans developed consciousness and awareness of their actions, they began to study themselves in greater detail, including through art. In Egyptian depiction, the human is endowed with an excellent physique and a consistent, systematic construction: many authors throughout the various periods of ancient Egypt have repeated human body forms. One need only turn to the Menkaure and Khamerernebty (2490-2472 BCE) and Hatshepsut with offering jars (1473-1458 BCE) statuettes to discover virtually unchanging proportions and patterns of body part representation (Kleiner, 2018, p. 67, p. 72). Such systematicity limited the depiction of individuality, and human in Egyptian art was depicted predominantly as a faceless construct, with a heavy focus on morphology but virtually no attention by the author to the character of the individual depicted. This is also confirmed by the fact that the rock images showed the individual as part of a group, each member of which was shown in profile and virtually indistinguishable from one other (Kleiner, 2018, p. 69). The fundamental meaning of such a display was the recognition of the global importance of the ruler, against which the average person cannot be an individual.
Much more bizarre is the person in Aegean art: often, the authors emphasized not the realistic display of proportions but giving each work a unique trait through abstract forms. For example, the marble statuette of a human playing the harp (2800-2300 BCE), or the Cycladic Female Figurine (2500-2400 BCE) are characterized by unnatural body proportions, excessively large necks, and almost rectangular torsos, but also by the presence of an idea that clearly reflects the author’s desire (“Aegean Art,” 2019). Another example that confirms the identity of Aegean art is the Bull Leaping Fresco (1450 BCE), showing games with a bull, which may be evidence of the local population’s commitment to sports games and entertainment. Against the background of the tense, systematic, and austere profiles of humans in Egyptian art, the work of the Aegean authors seems more relaxed and free-spirited, recognizing the value and uniqueness of the individual.
The Difference in Styles and Representation of Characteristics
One of the significant differences between Egyptian and Aegean representations of humans in art, whether in cave paintings, drawings, or sculptures, is the ideational positioning of the person in the work of art. The symbolic difference in the depiction of humans may be evidence of a differential understanding of the nature of humans as part of civilization. An Egyptian person is, above all, a servant of the state, a detail in the overall mechanism that aims at conquest and expansion, while the Aegean human is a free-loving, ambitious, and enterprising individual. It is this foundation, the essentially opposite understanding of the positioning of humans as a tool or as an individual, that underlies the different depictions of humans in the art forms of the two civilizations. If we take into account that creativity is predominantly a representation of the two times and concerns that the author faced during his life, then Egyptian and Aegean art can tell us about the culture, life, and beliefs of the two civilizations. Accordingly, the main cultural code of the ancient Egyptians was service to the state, so any human figures were shown as such service. Rulers, on the other hand, were depicted as comparably larger than the average person or qualitatively different in general representations. The Aegean culture favored luxury, liberty, and abstract differentiation, characterizing this culture as human-centered and more relaxed.
Interesting Observation
In examining the differences between the two cultures, I was particularly interested in the recurring pattern in Egyptian and Aegean art displayed differentially. In particular, both civilizations have depictions of people with a bull: the Aegean Bull Leaping Fresco (1450 BCE) and the Egyptian wading cattle (2450-2350 BCE). In fact, both images show the exact figures, but the author’s ideological message is felt quite differently. In the context of a historical examination of the cultures of the two civilizations, this difference is explained by the main commitment of humans in each community, which makes this pattern interesting to observe.
Art is non-universal and is a representation of the experiences, cultural code, and events encountered by the author in a particular era and place. This is clearly demonstrated by comparing Egyptian and Aegean art, which operate with the same figures in art but show the human being in entirely different ways. The human in Egyptian art is a detail in the overall mechanism of the state, while the human in Aegean art is an ambitious individual. It is the different approach to the positioning of a person that determines the main currents of the art of the two civilizations and creates the difference that is available to the modern viewer with an understanding of the two contexts.
References
Kleiner, F. S. (2018). Gardner’s art through the ages: A global history, volume I. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Aegean Art: Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean. (2019). Web.