What Makes Egyptian Art Recognisable as Such?
Understanding and Interpreting Pharaonic Artefacts from the Old Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Age
12-16 September 2022 (online)
Instructor
Outline
This summer school introduces Egyptian art with a special focus on paintings and sculptures. Yet, it is not your usual course in art history; rather, it trains its students to develop a deeper understanding of the considerable sophistication of pharaonic artefacts, some of which are considered to be universal masterpieces.
Starting from the question ‘What makes Egyptian art recognisable as such?’, the attendees will be directly involved and trained in the observation and interpretation of images, symbols, rules, and stylistic conventions that regulated the creation of pharaonic artistic products.
Is Egyptian art realistic? Does it have a decorative purpose? Why do Egyptian statues look ‘emotionless’? Is there an evolution in their style and iconography or do they remain faithful to a ‘canon’ throughout the entire Egyptian history? These are only some of many questions that the course will try to answer. The summer school involves traditional lessons, independent reading, and audio-visual materials.
Form of assessment: after the completion of the course, the attendees will have two weeks to prepare a written description (similar to a catalogue description) of an Egyptian artefact.
No prerequisites are needed to attend the course.
All reading material will be provided in digital form at the beginning of the course.
Schedule
| Monday, 12 September 2022 | |
| 9.00-12.00 am | Egyptian art: An introduction. Canon, style, rules |
| 2.00-5.00 pm | Independent study of reading material for the following lesson |
| Tuesday, 13 September 2022 | |
| 9.00-12.00 am | From divine kings to human kings: sculpture in the Old and Middle Kingdoms |
| 2.00-5.00 pm | Independent study of reading material for the following lesson |
| Wednesday, 14 September 2022 | |
| 9.00-12.00 am | Classic and anti-classic: sculpture in the New Kingdom and beyond |
| 2.00-5.00 pm | Independent study of reading material for the following lesson |
| Thursday, 15 September 2022 | |
| 9.00-12.00 am | Depicting daily life: painting from the Old to the New Kingdom |
| 2.00-5.00 pm | Independent study of reading material for the following lesson |
| Friday, 16 September 2022 | |
| 9.00-12.00 am | Introducing a new visual language: Egyptian art in the Ptolemaic age |
| 2.00-5.00 pm | General discussion, questions and answers |
Registration
Interested students should register by 1 September 2022 using this form below. For questions, please contact Merryl Rebello (merryl.rebello"AT"uni-hamburg.de).