I can't upload it because it is in PowerPoint, but here is the text from it.
Note: I have disappeared a little bit because I have been working on a presentation. I have been writing offline because Daphne is being a handful and a half right now.
This is backdated because I wrote it offline, and I am posting it now. Still within the blog 365 rules.
We are lucky to have art from the distant past. The problem is that, we have only been left with the art that can last through the ages. It takes a lot of durability and stamina for a piece of art to survive through the ages. Stone is a durable medium, that is why we have a lot of art on stone and made out of stone. By and large, the art that has survived through the times has been made of stone. We had architecture such as the pyramids, small sculptures of Pharos, large sculptures such as the Spinx, etc. Many things could be learned from these fine works of art.
Many works of art have not survived down through the ages. Painting is one of those arts. A painting is very fragile because it is simply a pigment mixed with an emulsion. The emulsion substance keeps the paint stuck onto the surface. Paint is not permanent. Wood rots away, and so does the paint on it. Paintings on stone will eventually wear away in the wind and the weather. Even canvas will not last. Rarely, a painting would be preserved and would be found. One Egyptian tradition allowed for the preservation of paintings that we have in our possession today. We have been given the gift of studying the paintings of the ancient Egyptians, and what a gift it is.
The paintings we have in our possession are called the Fayum Portraits as a collected body. They are called the Fayum portraits because the first of paintings in this body of work were found in the Fayum region. Since that first discovery, the majority of the portrait paintings have come from the Fayum region. More and more of them are being discovered all the time as areas that were once flooded are being cleared out. The climate of the region and the burial method have been instrumental in preserving these precious works of art.
It is important to understand, however, that not all of the portraits in this style have come from the Fayum region. The portraits have since been found far and wide in other areas such as in the delta region and at Aswan. The majority of them come from the important Fayum region, and that is why they maintain the title as the Fayum Portraits.
Today, many of the Fayum portraits exist as separate panel paintings. They were not always like that. The portraits were used as a part of the mummification process. As the body was being wrapped, the portrait was set over the face of the mummy. The wrapping was then continued. The effect, was as if you were looking at the face of the person with the rest of them being wrapped up.
This burial process must have been popular during the time, and not just something done for the upper elites because we have found thousands of mummies with the portraits set in for the face. Probably not every person that died was mummified in this way, but it must have been a common enough practice.
Unfortunately, the panels from some mummies have been stolen or separated from the mummy without proper documentation. The majority of the Fayum portraits that we have today are no longer set in to the mummified body. They are being displayed as panel paintings and works of art themselves.
So far, we have discovered over one thousand of these portraits. They are valued as treasured items to museums around the world. I have seen three of the most complete collections in three of the most spectacular museums: The Louvre, Paris; The British Musuem, London; The Metropolitan Musuem of Art, New York. Each time I see a new collection of Fayum portraits, I have the urge to dig deeper and deeper into the lives of the people involved. The method used in these portraits has always fascinated me.
The Fayum portrait paintings were painted during a very specific time in Egyptian history. The earliest paintings were made during the birth of Christ with the latest occurring around 350 years after his death.
In 1615, the first a “mummy portrait” painting was taken back to Italy by an explorer that has visited Egypt. Even in the 1800’s a few “mummy portrait” paintings were discovered. The biggest discovery came in the Fayum region in 1880. Since that time, we have been finding more and more in varied locations around Egypt. Today, we are lucky to have had so many painting discoveries.
I was very surprised at first by the Fayum portraits. They style of them did not seem Egyptian to me at all. My understanding of Egyptian art was stiff, still wall paintings with the classic twisted body and straight arms. These Fayum portraits were real. They were relaxed. They were beautiful. They showed a window into the lives of the people that they were being made for. I have training in classical art, and the Fayum Portraits looked distinctly Hellenistic to me.
The Hellenistic Greeks quickly became good at art. Their sculptures went from stiff and jagged to glorious and real in just a short amount of time. The attention to detail and focus on reality of the Fayum portraits made me think that they were Greek.
Alexander the Great had conquered a huge amount of the known world. Greeks were stationed in different areas outside of Greece to help Greece to rule. Eventually, many of the Greeks became a part of the local culture. In Egypt, they were members of the elite, ruling class, and they were incorporated into society. Because of their roots, they had the art of realistic painting down very well. They used their skill in the arts to paint portraits for people.
The reality with which the paintings were made indicates that they were probably not made at the time of death. It was more likely that during the lifetime of the person that they would go to a portrait artist and have a portrait done. The portrait would then hang in the family home, most likely in the family room. This is a tradition that we carry on today with photographs. When the person died, the portrait was then taken down from the wall and used as a burial mask.
I agree with the conclusion that they were made during the lifetime of the person. It would be impossible to get that realistic of a portrait when the life had already left the person. When I look at the portraits, I feel like I have a genuine window into the soul of the person that is depicted.
The technique that the paintings were made with is extremely interesting. During that time, it was not possible to go to the paint store and pick up any number of colors that you want to make a painting. All pigments must come from a natural source. Up until the Renaissance in Italy, this was the way that all painting was made. Bright purples and blues were almost unheard of, and they were certainly very expensive because they had to be ground from semi-precious stone.
The method of painting used was called the earth palette or the old master’s palette. I have painted with the earth palette before, and it is incredibly pleasing. The primary colors are burnt sienna, yellow ochre, white and black. With the proper mixing almost any color can be attained, even purple and blue (in a very natural tone). Natural colors bring about very realistic portraits. Because the pigments are basically dirt and rock ground up, they were able to last for some time.
The portraits were painted on wood panels. Any wood that was available was used, but the panels we have in existence are oak, fig, sycamore, cypress, etc. The wood was from trees that were relatively local to Egypt. It is possible that the panels could have been imported from other places in the Mediterranean.
Once the painting was done, finishing touches were put on the paintings, if the person’s status would allow. Gold in the hair or as a bracelet would be attached to the panel. As you can see, these portraits are an incredible body of paintings that have been able to give us a look into the lives of the Egyptians that lived around the birth of Christ. They had a lot of impact on the painting that came in later times even though they had all been buried and forgotten. They give us a deep look into the roots of painting that is invaluable to the understanding of the history of art and the progression of techniques used in painting throughout time. If you are ever in a museum that has a collection of Fayum portraits, check them out.
Image Credits:
“Ancient Civilizations”. Social Studies for Kids. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.socialstudiesforkids.com
“Colour Charts”. Matisse. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.matisse.com.au/images/OldMasters.jpg
“Digital Art Library”. San Jose School of Art and Design. Accessed: March 2, 2008. http://gallery.sjsu.edu
“Fayum Mummy Portraits.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Accessed: March 2, 2008.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayum_mummy_portraits “
The Great Pyramids at Giza”. Woodchurch Science. Accessed: March 2,2008. http://woodchurchscience.edublogs.org/s=egypt&x=204&y=39
Hellenica. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.mlahanas.de
“History”. Armenian History. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.armenian-history.com
“History: Ancient Egypt”. Solar Navigator. Solar Navigator. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.solarnavigator.net
“History of Egypt”. Egypt Gift Shop. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.egyptgiftshop.com
“Images”. Vroma. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.vroma.org
Kolah Studio. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.kolahstudio.com
Miami University. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.montgomery.cas.muohio.edu:16080/.../PA050071.jpg
The Mystic Corner. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.themysticcorner.com
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.rcsed.ac.uk
Shaw, Sandra J. “Portraiture”. Sandra J. Shaw Studio. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.sandrashaw.com
University of Michigan. Accessed: March 2, 2008. www.lib.umich.edu/pap/k12/images/Fayum_Map.jpg
References:
Doxiadias, Euphrosyne. The Mysterious Fayum Portraits. Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2000.
“Fayum Mummy Portraits.” Egyptology Online. Accessed: March 2, 2008. http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummy_portraits.htm
“Fayum Mummy Portraits.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Accessed: March 2, 2008.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayum_mummy_portraits
Geoffery-Scheniter, Berenice. Fayum Portraits. Assouline, 2005.
Hewison, Neil R. The Fayoum: History and Guide. American University in Cairo, 2004.
Walker, Susan. Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt. Routledge, 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment