Egyptian art is five thousand years old. It emerged and took shape in the ancient Egypt, the civilization of the Nile Valley. Expressed in paintings and sculptures, it was highly symbolic and fascinating - this art form revolves round the past and was intended to keep history alive.
In a narrow sense, Ancient Egyptian art refers to the canonical 2D and 3D art developed in Egypt from 3000 BC and used until the 3rd century. It is to be noted that most elements of Egyptian art remained remarkably stable over the 3000 year period that represents the ancient civilization without strong outside influence. The same basic conventions and quality of observation started at a high level and remained near that level over the period.
Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of human beings and the nature, and, were intended to provide company to the deceased in the 'other world'. Artists' endeavored to preserve everything of the present time as clearly and permanently as possible. Completeness took precedence over prettiness. Some art forms present an extraordinarily vivid representation of the time and the life, as the ancient Egyptian life was lived thousand of years before.
Egyptian art in all forms obeyed one law: the mode of representing man, nature and the environment remained almost the same for thousands of years and the most admired artists were those who replicated most admired styles of the past.
Susan Hefuna, ‘Building’ series, 2014, bronze, black patina, dimensions variable. Image courtesy Pi Artworks Istanbul/London.
Egyptian-German multimedia artist Susan Hefuna (b. 1962, Egypt) draws upon her mixed heritage to create work in a wide range of media, from drawing, photography and sculpture to installation, video, performance and participatory projects. Hefuna is fascinated by the structures of connection that inhabit public spaces and become the framework for people’s interactions. She explores the ways in which such networks become visible through cultural customs, architectural models and city planning.
A recurring pattern in her work since 1990, the mashrabiya screen – an intricate wooden or stone lattice work in traditional Egyptian architecture – lends itself to Hefuna’s exploration of networks and their actual visual representation through drawings, sculptures and other works. Her abstract drawings in ink and pencil on multiple sheets of tracing paper oscillate between the two- and three-dimensional, and evoke cityscapes, molecular structures and constellations.
