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2019/2020

Egyptian Art

Code: 100575 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500239 Art History OB 1 2

Contact

Name:
Francesc Josep de Rueda Roige
Email:
FrancescJosep.DeRueda@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Heri Abruņa Marti
Annabel Villalonga Gordaliza

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

There are not any prerequisites, but it is advisable to have some notions of English, French and Italian in order to be able to consult the specialised bibliography.

 

Objectives and Contextualisation

Objectives

The aim of this subject is to provide a wide introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art.

Having finished the course, the student should be able to:

  1. Recognise, identify and characterise the most important works of art.
  2. Place them correctly in their historical and artistic context.
  3. Master the terminology and vocabulary of the course.
  4. Interpret the iconography and symbolism of the works of art.

 

 

Competences

  • Critically analysing from the acquired knowledge a work of art in its many facets: formal values, iconographic significance, artistic techniques and procedures, elaboration process and reception mechanisms.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Interpreting a work of art in the context in which it was developed and relating it with other forms of cultural expression.
  • Recognising the evolution of the artistic imagery from the antiquity to the contemporary visual culture.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately defining and explaining an artistic object with the specific language of art criticism.
  2. Analysing ideas about an artistic phenomenon in a given cultural context.
  3. Analysing the creators of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  4. Analysing the recipients of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  5. Applying the iconographic knowledge to the reading of artistic imagery.
  6. Connecting an artistic imagery with other cultural phenomena within its period.
  7. Distinguishing the elaboration techniques and processes of an artistic object.
  8. Examining an artistic imagery and distinguishing its formal, iconographic and symbolic values.
  9. Explaining the reception mechanisms of a work of art.
  10. Identifying the artistic imagery, placing it into its cultural context.
  11. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  12. Reconstructing the artistic outlook of a particular cultural context.

Content

Syllabus

1.  Introduction. Historiography of ancient Egyptian art. An introduction to mythical thought and ancient Egyptian mentality. Understanding and reading the ancient Egyptian image. General feautures and symbolism of ancient Egyptian art. Ancient Egyptian gender and its rendering in art. The ancient Egyptian artist.

2.  The Predynastic Period. Pottery and other artistic productions of Naqada I and II cultures. The “Unification documents” (knive handles, mace heads and palettes) and other artistic productions of Naqada III culture. The mural painting from tomb 100 in Hierakonpolis.

3.  The Early Dynastic Period (dyns. I-II). The art in Narmer’s reign. Main statues and reliefs of Narmer’s successors. Mastabas and funerary palaces in Abydos. Mastabas in Saqqara. Private art.

4.  The Old Kingdom (dyns. III-VI). The funerary complexes of Djeser, Snofru, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Solar Temples. The Great Sphinx. Sculptural programmes from the funerary complexes of Djeser, Snofru, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The Second Style of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (dyn. VII-first half of dyn. XI). “Reserve heads” and private art.

5.  The Middle Kingdom (second half of dyn. XI-dyn. XII). Montuhotep II’s Chapel. Senusert’s I White Chapel. Montuhotep II’s pre-unification Theban style. The evolution of Senusert’s I image and the transition to Senusert’s III “realistic” style. Amenemhat III: tradition and artistic innovation. The Second Intermediate Period (dyns. XIII-XVII). Private art.

6.  The New Kingdom I (dyn. XVIII: first half). Hatshepsut’s funerary Temple. The archaism of Ahmose and Amenhotep I. The Thutmoside style of Thutmose Iand II. The evolution of the images of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. The Thutmoside style of Amenhotep II. Private art.

7.  The New Kingdom II (dyn. XVIII: second half). The Temple of Luxor. The city of Amarna. The tomb of  Tutankhamun. The art of Thutmose IV and the first signs of royal solarisation. The art of Amenhotep III or the sunrise of royal solarisation. The art of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten or the splendour of royal solarisation. The art of Tutankhamun and their successors or the sunset of royal solarisation. Private art.

8.  The New Kingdom III (dyns. XIX-XX). The Temple of Abydos. The Temples of Abu Simbel. The Temple of Medinet Habu. Ramesside art in the reigns of Seti I, Ramesses II i Ramesses III. Private art.

9.  The First Millennium: The Third Intermediate Period (dyns. XXI-XXV), Late Period (dyns. XXVI-XXX) and Ptolemaic Period.

 

 

Methodology

Methodology

 

Attendance-based:

Theoretical and Practical classes.

Group study, if it is required.

Occasional conferences.

 

Tutorials:

Methodological and bibliographical orientation.

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Attendance to Theoretical and Practical classes 45 1.8 3, 4, 2, 10, 5, 1, 7, 8, 9, 12, 6
Type: Supervised      
Methodological and bibliographical orientation 7 0.28 3, 4, 2, 10, 5, 1, 7, 8, 9, 12, 6
Type: Autonomous      
Complementary reading 15 0.6 3, 4, 2, 10, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 6
Personal study and preparation for exams 80 3.2

Assessment

Assesment

 

Activity 1: Written test of the first part of the syllabus (4 marks, 40 % from the final mark).

 

Activity 2: Written test of the second part of the syllabus (4 marks, 40 % from the final mark).

 

Activity 3: Test about a compulsory reading or presentation in class through group work about a given topic and submission of a text (choosen by the teachers at the beginning of the course) (2 marks, 20 % from the final mark).

 

Activity 4 (optional): Essay about a documentary or some papers recommended in class. The maximum mark of this activity is 0,5, to add to the final mark obtained by the student.

 

 

Important Information:

 

 

The final mark is the result of the addition of the marks obtained in activities 1, 2, 3 and, if it is required, 4. However, the student has to get at least 2/4 marks in activities 1 and 2.

 

If the student has only done some of the compulsory excercises (activities 1, 2, 3) and if he/she has passed them, he/she will get a “not assessable”  when the general addition does not reach the pass or a superior mark. On the contrary, the student will get the mark that he/she has obtained. At the time of each evaluative activity, the teacher will inform the students (Moodle) of the procedure and the date of the revision of the marking.  

 

Only the students who have not passed and have sat for the three compulsory activities (1, 2 and 3) have the right to a reassessment – the date is set by the Facultie’s Academic Management. The syllabus of this reassessment will be explained at the beginning of the course by the teacher. The maximum mark of this reassessment is 5.

 

Total o partial plagiary of any of the exercises will automatically be considered  “fail” (zero) for the plagiarized item. Plagiary is copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources, presenting it as original work (this includes copying phrases or fragments from the internet and adding them without modification to a text which is presented as original). Plagiarism is a serious offense. Students must learn to respect the intellectual property of others, identifying any source they may use, and take responsibility for the originality ant authenticity of the texts they produce.

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Test about a compulsory reading or presentation in class through group work and delivery of a text 20% 1 0.04 3, 8, 9
Written test 1 40% 1 0.04 4, 5, 8, 9
Written test 2 40% 1 0.04 3, 2, 10, 1, 7, 11, 12, 6

Bibliography

Bibliography

 

General - Egyptology

 

LLOYD, Alan (ed.), A Companion to Ancient Egypt, 2 volums, Chichester: Wiley - Blackwel, 2014 (original edition: 2010).

 

REDFORD, Donald (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 3 volums, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

 

SCHULZ, Regina; SEIDEL, Matthias (eds.), Egipto. El mundo de los faraones. Cologne: Könemann, 2004 (original edition in german: 2004, Königswinter: Tandem).

 

SHAW, Ian; NICHOLSON, Paul, Diccionario Akal del antiguo Egipto. Madrid: Akal, 2004 (original edition in english: 1995, London: British Museum).

 

WILKINSON, Richard, Egyptology today, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

 

General – Ancient Egyptian Art

 

ALDRED, Cyril, Arte egipcio en el tiempo de los faraones 3100-320 a. de C, El mundo del arte 18, Barcelona: Destino, 1993 (original edition in english: 1980, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

ALEGRE GARCÍA, Susana, Arte en el antiguo Egipto. Claves para su interpretación. Cuenca: Alderabán, 2013.

 

DAVIS, Whitney Vivian, The Canonical Tradition in Ancient Egyptian Art, Cambridge - New York - Port Chester - Melbourne - Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

 

DONADONI, Sergio, El arte egipcio, Fundamentos 160, Madrid: Istmo, 2001 (original edition in italian: 1981, Torino: Unione Tipografica-Editrice Torinese).

 

ESTRADA LAZA, Fernando, Entender y amar el arte egipcio, Barcelona: Crítica, 2012.

 

FISCHER, Henry, L'écriture et l'art de l'Égypte ancienne, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1986.

 

HARTWIG, Melinda (ed.), A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, Chichester: Wiley - Blackwell, 2015.

 

LALOUETTE, Claire, L'art figuratif dans l'Égypte pharaonique. Peintures et sculptures, Champs 326, Paris: Flammarion, 1996.

 

LECLANT, Jean (dir.), El mundo egipcio. Los faraones. 3 volums. Madrid: Aguilar, 1978-80 (original edition in french: 1978-80, Paris: Gallimard).

 

MANNICHE, Lise, El arte egipcio, Alianza forma 141, Madrid: Alianza, 1997 (original edition in french: 1994, Paris: Flammarion).

 

MICHALOWSKI, Kazimierz, El arte del antiguo Egipto, Madrid: Akal, 1991 (original edition in french: 1968, Paris: Éditions Lucien Mazenod).

 

MOLINERO POLO, Miguel Ángel; SOLA ANTEQUERA, Domingo (coords.), Arte y sociedad del Egipto antiguo. Ensayos 171. Madrid: Encuentro, 2000.

 

ROBINS, Gay, Proportion and Style in Ancient Egyptian Art, London: Thames & Hudson, 1994.

 

ROBINS, Gay, The Art of Ancient Egypt, London: British Museum, 2008 (original edition: 1997).

 

SCHÄFER, Heinrich, Principles of Egyptian Art, Oxford: Griffith Institute, 1986 (original edition in german: 1919, Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs).

 

SMITH, William Stevenson, Arte y arquitectura del antiguo Egipto. Madrid: Cátedra, 2008 (original edition in english: 1958, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books).

 

VALDESOGO MARTÍN, María Rosa, El arte egipcio. Cómo interpretar y comprender la obra plástica del antiguo Egipto. Madrid: Dilema, 2011.

 

WILKINSON, Richard, Magia y símbolo en el arte egipcio, Alianza forma 148, Madrid: Alianza, 2003 (original edition in english: 1994, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

WILKINSON, Richard, Cómo leer el arte egipcio. Guía de jeroglíficos del antiguo Egipto, Barcelona: Crítica, 2004 (original edition in english: 1992, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

ZIEGLER, Christiane; BOVOT, Jean-Luc, Art et archéologie. l'Égypte ancienne, Paris: École du Louvre - Réunion des musées nationaux -La Documentation française, 2001.

 

Specific - Ancient Egyptian Art

 

ARNOLD, Dieter, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egyptian Architecture, London: I. B. Tauris, 2003 (original edition in german: 1994, Zuric: Artemis & Winkler).

 

BAINES, John, Visual and Written Culture in Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

 

DODSON, Aidan; IKRAM, Salima, The Tomb in Ancient Egypt. Royal and Private Sepulchres from the Early Dynastic Period to the Romans. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008.

 

LURSON, Benoît, Lire l'image égyptienne. Les "Salles du Trésor" du Grand Temple d'Abou Simbel, Paris: Geuthner, 2001.

 

DAVIS, Whitney Vivian, Masking the Blow. The Scene of Representation in Late Prehistoric Egyptian Art. California Studies in the History of Art 30, Berkeley - Los Ángeles - Oxford: University of California Press, 1992.

 

EDWARDS, Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen, Las pirámides de Egipto, Barcelona: Crítica, 2003 (original edition in english: 1961, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books).

 

HAWASS, Zawi (dir.), Tesoros de las pirámides, Barcelona: Librería Universitaria, 2003 (original edition in english: 2003, Vercelli: White Star).

 

HAWASS, Zawi, The Lost Tombs of Thebes. London: Thames & Hudson, 2009.

 

HODEL-HOENES, Sigrid, Life and Death in Ancient Egypt. Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000 (original edition in german: 1991, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft).

 

LEHNER, Mark, Todo sobre las pirámides, Barcelona: Destino, 2003 (original edition in english: 1997, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

MEKHITARIAN, Arpag, Egyptian Painting, Geneva: Skira, 1978 (ed. original: 1954).

 

REEVES, Nicholas; WILKINSON, Richard, Todo sobre el Valle de los Reyes, Barcelona: Destino, 1999 (original edition in english: 1996, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

RUSSMANN, Edna, Egyptian Sculpture: Cairo and Luxor. London: British Museum, 1989.

 

TEFNIN, Roland (ed.), La peinture égyptienne ancienne. Un monde de signes à préserver, Monumenta Aegyptiaca 7, City of Brussels: Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1997.

 

VOLOKHINE, Youri, La frontalité dans l'iconographie de l'Égypte ancienne. Cahiers de la Société d'Égyptologie 6, Geneva: Société d'Égyptologie, 2000.

 

WEEKS, Kent (dir.), El Valle de los Reyes. Las tumbas y los templos funerarios de Tebas, Barcelona: Librería Universitaria, 2002 (original edition in english: 2001, Vercelli: White Star).

 

WILKINSON, Richard, Los templos del antiguo Egipto, Barcelona: Destino, 2002 (original edition in english: 2000, London: Thames & Hudson).

 

WILKINSON, Richard, Todos los dioses del antiguo Egipto, Madrid: Oberon, 2003 (original edition in english: 2003, London: Thames & Hudson).