Ancient Egyptian relief

Relief images have been found since ancient times on household and religious objects, funeral steles, but especially often on the walls of temples and tombs . With differences in the plot, the pictorial principle remains the same and is based on the requirements of the ancient Egyptian canon ^[1] .

In the artistic history of Egypt, the narrative image often approached a decorative pattern, now acquired the features of compositional freedom and dynamics. The relief has changed significantly depending on the evolution of architecture and sculpture. Early samples are distinguished by a large rigidity and angularity of the contours, uneven development of the entire plane of the figure ^[2] .

In the oldest reliefs (known reliefs dating back to the IV dynasty ), the figure slightly protrudes from the background; starting from the XII dynasty, the reception of convex figures is less common, and from the XVIII dynasty this type of relief almost disappears, and, like in the Luxor Obelisk , the reliefs are usually already deepened. Starting from the 20th dynasty, they use the same two types of relief. Low terrain is less prone to destruction and better resists the effects of time.

Currently, a number of much earlier reliefs are known that preceded the art of the period of the IV dynasty. For example, a slate tablet with a relief image of animals (Oxford Museum) dates from around the beginning of the 1st dynasty . The well-known relief of the Narmer of the Cairo Museum belongs to the same dynasty, there is also the relief of Hesi-Ra - the III dynasty , etc. Reliefs of technology ^{[ specify ]} already found in the art of the period of the Old Kingdom ^[3] .

The heyday of the ancient Egyptian relief - the era of the New Kingdom . During this period, the aesthetic ideal in the art of Egypt was changing: the heavyweight, dispassionate static was replaced by lyrical genres in all forms of art, the criteria of sophistication, grace and greater freedom of expression came to the fore. Images of figures in various turns, transmission of spatial plans become common. A masterpiece of freedom and emotionality in the relief images of the era is the composition “Weepers” from the tomb in Memphis . Refined relief distinguishes the reliefs of the Amarna period . In the future, the relief is influenced by increasing decorative trends (reliefs of the Tutankhamun era), academicism (images of Network I ). Returning to the strict requirements of the canon after a brief period of stylistic renewal during the Amarna period required the masters the greatest sense of proportion and balance between ancient and new techniques. The late period is marked by many outstanding works. Nevertheless, in the art of relief, the achievements of the times of Amarna were not surpassed.

The art of the Middle Kingdom strives for greater ease and naturalness of proportions, it is in this era that the relief becomes somewhat less static than in the culture of the Old Kingdom ^[2] .

The relief adorning the surface should not have destroyed its texture, and therefore the height of the ancient Egyptian relief is small, sometimes less than one millimeter. There are no perspectives and spatial plans; angles are not used in the image of figures. Group scenes always unfold in the same line as a frieze: there are usually several such frieze belts. The flat silhouette of the figure is emphasized by a generalized contour close to a geometrical one. Relief painting covers its sections with an even layer, while the tradition of using pure contrasting colors remains unshakable for centuries. The main idea of ​​the relief compositions of a particular tomb belonged to the head of work; the remaining masters performed individual reliefs or transferred ready-made episodes to the walls, based on sketches of a smaller scale. Drawings of the future composition were applied to the prepared wall, after which the masters cut out the contours and painted the relief with brushes.

The relief technique included three stages: drawing with paint on the prepared plane, selecting the relief and final painting. Mineral paints were used in the paintings: red ocher, yellow ocher, green - grated malachite , blue - lapis lazuli , and black - soot . The contents of the murals and reliefs in the burials of the Old Kingdom can be divided into two types: glorifying the pharaoh, describing his great deeds, committed by him in earthly life, his subjects, as well as more rare murals dedicated to the mysterious future life, “eternal life and eternal bliss” ^{[ 4]} .

In the art of Ancient Egypt, two types of relief were used: a bas-relief , on which the background around the figures was removed, and a high relief , with an in-depth contour but retained background. Inside the outline of the drawing, the master could simulate the image. However, at all stages of the work, he was bound by a whole system of rules. Each figure combines fragments of images from different angles from different points of view: the torso is depicted in the face or in three quarters, the head and legs in profile. This approach to the image, due to the canonical rules, gives a special character to the plasticity of the figures and the transmission of movement in the ancient Egyptian relief. A very insignificant measure of variation in the poses and movements of various figures on multi-figured frieze compositions. This gives the relief the mood of a leisurely, calm sequence. In addition, such a composition was especially naturally associated with the plane of the wall, emphasizing its strict and smooth surface.

Egyptian artists have never forgotten about the need for integrity, organicity of the entire ensemble, and always one art, as it were, grew out of another. The relief was usually painted and inscribed with hieroglyphs. It was three synthesis of arts - architectonics organizing the space not only of the wall, but also in front of the wall, sculptural modeling of volume, and painting in bloom with the colors of the real world ^[5] .

• The Art of Ancient Egypt
• Amarn art