3 ms·
It’s of course difficult to say how much of the perceived non-realism was simply about cultural aesthetic preferences with regard to style. Especially given tha
by Sharlin 3y ago
It’s of course difficult to say how much of the perceived non-realism was simply about cultural aesthetic preferences with regard to style. Especially given that the statues that have survived are those with special cultural or religious significance.
- pavlov 3y agoThe non-realist aspects were definitely tied to cultural and religious signifiers. There's actually a fascinating case where Egyptian artists were briefly allowed to abandon the established style and adopted a quite different one during the so-called Amarna period: https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/amarna-period-portraiture/LAKyELrHqtthLA?hl=en https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/amarna-period-... Much of the art became almost caricatures with elongated features, but there was simultaneously a realist tendency where portraits of royalty were suddenly allowed to have a likeness. The famous Nefertiti bust is from this era. It seems clear to me that the artists' skills was not the limitation, but the permitted range of expression was quite narrow until this rebel pharaoh unleashed the short-lived style revolution.