_greek art _
By: kerry
Erin Livesey May 7, 2000 Extra Credit Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits From
Roman Egypt a special exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art concentrates
on 70 portraits painted in Egypt during the first few centuries of Roman rule.
Rome controlled Egypt as it controlled much else, through a policy of
calculated multiculturalism. Egyptian customs were tolerated; Romans brought
practices and beliefs of their own. Before long, things shaded together. The
mummy paintings are traces of that process in actionThe paintings were made
to be placed at the head level on the outside of cloth-wrapped mummies as part
of Pharaonic mortuary rites focused on the afterlife. It was likely that the
portraits were painted just before or after death As one walks into the
gallery an eire feeling is in the air. The eyes of the portraits seem to
follow you around the room. The Roman influence among the people is easily
seen. A quote on the wall reads The arts in Roman Egypt were as complex as
the society while temple building in the tradition Egyptian style continue
with few interruptions until the end of the 2nd century A.D and many fine,
reliefs, columns, and other architectural elements were created in the
pharaonic manner, sculptures in a purely Egyptian style practically came to an
end with the Roman conquest Portraits from the Antioopolis tend to show
their subjects in distinctively restrained clothing and hairstyle presumably
inspired by the citys interest in Greek classicism. A number of Mummy
portraits depict young men between the ages of 14 and 20 with their first
facial hair, a feature that had particular connotations in Greek educated
society of Roman Egypt. The way Emperor Hadrian had his hair combed forward
and wearing a short beard that demonstrates love for ancient Greece. There are
several inscriptions on panel paintings written in Greek, which was the
suggested language of the educated upper class. These are just several
examples of Greek and roman influence on the Egyptian society An exhibit I
found more interesting was The Mary and Michael Jaharis Gallery of Archaic and
Classical Greek Art. The Greek Art is elaborate with many of the statues being
large scale. Many of the statues have a deep meaning behind them. Like the
statue of Aphrodite it is a full body with animation appearing to be graceful
and seductive. The statue of Maenads shows them dancing and the fabric moves
with her expressions. The statue of the Amazons who were mythical race of
warrior women show no expression on her face, no sign of pain or fatigue.
There is such a great deal of detail in the artwork of ancient Greece it
captures forever a time we will never know first hand The exhibits at The
Metropolitan Museum of Art were an insight in to a time we will never see, but
the beauty caught by classical artist shed light into a world faded in time.
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