Country Research

1. E G Y P T
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
NATURE
T H E L A N D O F N I L E
ORIGIN
Egypt, country located in the northeast-
ern corner of Africa. Egypt’s heartland,
the Nile River valley and delta, was the
home of one of the principal civilizations
of the ancient Middle East and, like Mes-
opotamia farther east, was the site of
one of the world’s earliest urban and lit-
erate societies. Pharaonic Egypt thrived
for some 3,000 years through a series of
native dynasties that were interspersed
with brief periods of foreign rule. After
Alexander the Great conquered the
region in 323 BC, urban Egypt became
an integral part of the Hellenistic world.
Under the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, an
advanced literate society thrived in the
city of Alexandria, but what is now Egypt
was conquered by the Romans in 30 BC.
It remained part of the Roman Republic
and Empire and then part of Rome’s suc-
cessor state, the Byzantine Empire, until
its conquest by Arab Muslim armies in
AD 639–642.
About 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslim,
which means they are followers of the
Islamic religion. About 10 percent of Egyp-
tians are Copts, one of the oldest branches
of the Christian religion.
Egypt’s population is growing rapidly. This
puts strains on Egypt’s resources, since most
people live in a narrow strip of land along
the Nile River. Having so many people in
such a small area can cause overcrowding,
from schools to apartment buildings to
hospitals.
Children are highly valued in Egypt, espe-
cially in rural areas where they help on fam-
ily farms. Children are also expected to look
after their parents in their old age.
Egypt is home to a wide variety of animals
and plants, including jackals, gazelles,
crocodiles, and cobras. The best places to
see Egypt’s wildlife are in its more than 20
protected regions, which include oases, des-
erts, mountains, coastal areas, river islands,
and wetlands.
Egyptians have always been close to the
natural world. The ancient Egyptians left
paintings and carvings of large animals like
elephants, hippos, leopards, and cheetahs.
These animals were once common in Egypt,

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
ART AND AESTHETICS
All Egyptian art is based on perfect
balance because it reflects the ideal
world of the gods. The same way
these gods provided all good gifts
for humanity, so the artwork was
imagined and created to provide
a use. Egyptian art was always
first and foremost functional.
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3
INTERIOR DESIGN
INFLUENCES
Egyptian art and design was very much
centred on decorative motifs and pat-
terns for both large and small items.
As Egyptian artefacts were uncov-
ered and became known to modern
civilization, their art designs began to
have an influence on modern design
Color in ancient Egypt was used not only in realistic representations of
scenes from every life but to illustrate the heavenly realms of the gods, the
afterlife, and the stories and histories of the deities Each color had its own
particular symbolism and was created from elements found in nature.
COLOUR THEORY
I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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3. 4
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CLASSIFICATION OF
ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES
OF DESIGN
GROUP RESEARCH
I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
II. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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4. ART
&
AESTHETICS
T
he perfect balance in Egyptian art reflects the cultural value of ma'at
(harmony) which was central to the civilization. Ma'at was not only
universal and social order but the very fabric of creation which came
into being when the gods made the ordered universe out of undifferentiated
chaos. The concept of unity, of oneness, was this 'chaos' but the gods
introduced duality - night and day, female and male, dark and light - and this
duality was regulated by ma'at.
The Egyptians understood that emotional states are transitory; one is not
consistently happy, sad, angry, content throughout a given day much less
eternally. Artworks present people and deities formally without expression
because it was thought the person's spirit would need that representation in
order to live on in the afterlife. A person's name and image had to survive in
some form on earth in order for the soul to continue its journey.
The lack of emotion has to do with the eternal purpose of the work. Statues
were made to be viewed from the front, usually with their backs against a
wall, so that the soul would recognize their former selves easily and this was
also true of gods and goddesses who were thought to live in their statues.
Life was only a small part of an eternal journey to the ancient Egyptians and
their art reflects this belief. A statue or a cosmetics case, a wall painting or
amulet, whatever form the artwork took, it was made to last far beyond its
owner's life and, more importantly, tell that person's story as well as reflecting
Egyptian values and beliefs as a whole.

5. The lives of the gods mirrored
those of the people and the
Egyptians honored them in
their lives and through their
works. The gods were thought
to have provided the most
perfect of worlds for the
people of ancient Egypt; so
perfect, in fact, that it would
last forever. The afterlife was
simply a continuation of the
life one had been living. It is
not surprising, then, that when
these people constructed their
great monuments they would
reflect this belief system. The
architecture of ancient Egypt
tells this story of the people’s
relationship with their land and
their gods. The symmetry of
the structures, the inscriptions,
the interior design, all reflect
the concept of harmony (ma’at)
which was central to the
ancient Egyptian value system.
ARCHITECTURE

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7. INFLUENCE
ON INTERIOR
DESIGN
Egyptian art and design was very much
centred on decorative motifs and patterns
for both large and small items. As Egyptian
artefacts were uncovered and became
known to modern civilization, their art
designs began to have an influence on
modern designEgyptian motifs and designs
became hugely influential on the Art
Deco movement in the 1920’s and 1930’s
Firstly, though, it is worth mentioning a brief
history of how Egyptian design began to
influence modern design, particularly in the
Western world. It was in the 18th century that
Egyptian design first became fashionable
for furnishing within British homes, mainly
through the influence of Italian design at
the time. This is when obviously Egyptian
items were being used as designs within
homes, including obelisks and sphinxes. As
Western society learnt more about Egypt
through the decipherment of the Rosetta
Stone, the opening of the Suez Canal and an
exhibition of Egyptian artefacts by Belzoni
in 1821, the trend for Egyptian design as
a fashion continued throughout the 19th
century and into the early 20th century
Egyptian designs were highly decorative,
and this was a huge influence on
the Art Deco movement that used
decorative patterns and design elements
wherever there was space to do so.
However, the term Art Deco itself was not
coined until the 1960’s, and in the 1920’s
and 1930’s the movement which is later
known as Art Deco was more concerned
with mixing the glamour of Hollywood with
the mystical and spiritual designs of ancient
cultures such as Mayan and Egyptian.
TheconceptofArtDecowastodowithforms,
shapes and geometric lines which signified
the rise of the machine age, the aeroplane
and the automobile. However, they also
mimicked the geometric patterns found in
Egyptian design and hieroglyphs. As 1930’s
Britain and America were reaching a more
advancedstagethanmodernsocietyhadever
achieved, the style of Art Deco paid homage
tothisthroughitsuseoftheEgyptianmotifs–
the motifs of the‘pinnacle’of ancient society.
There was a very clear influence from
Egyptian design on the Art Deco architecture
in cities like London and particularly
Manhattan in the 1930’s. Symbolically, the
beginning of the era of skyscrapers is like
the looming of the ancient Pyramids. There
is a certain sense of mystery in such powerful
and dominating structures, and this was
certainly part of the Egyptian influence on
Art Deco architecture at the time.[8] Other
designs in Europe more showed more
direct influence from Egyptian design, with
pyramid style apartments and buildings
being planned in London, New York and
Paris as a sign of luxury and sophistication.[9]
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8. Egyptian design was also important as a
social influence on Art Deco, because the
discovery of Tutankhamen and the tomb’s
wonderful artefacts represented a time
when luxury, mysticism and a ‘golden age’
were occurring. During the 1920’s and
1930’s people were still recovering from
the ravages of the First World War, and they
wanted to move away from those times of
hardship into a new era of peace, fashion and
decadence. Egyptian design was a perfect
representation of such an era, and this is
another reason why the Art Deco designs
of the time incorporated Egyptian motifs.
The geometric patterns of Art Deco however
areperhapsthemainfocusofthemovement’s
aesthetic, and came not only from Egyptian
design influences but from the influences
of Cubism. It was the geometric patterns of
Cubism mixed with the decorative aesthetic
of Egyptian design that influenced much of
the European and American movements of
Art Deco during the 1920’s and the 1930’s.
AfurtherdesignaspectofArtDecoinfluenced
by the Egyptian, or at least the perception of
Egyptian, design was the concept of feminine
style. The 1920’s and the 1930’s were the
start of a new era for feminine style after the
austere fashions of the early 1900’s. Egypt,
withitsfemalegodsandfemalerulingfigures,
is seen as a barometer of classic feminine
elegance and style. Therefore, many of the
fashion styles and interpretations of Egypt at
thetimewerebasedonthisideaoffemininity.
Art Deco architecture was influenced by
Egyptian architectural techniques in that it
places a certain importance on aesthetics
as well as functionality. This makes the
architecture closer in some ways to painting
or art rather than merely the design of
buildings. Art Deco buildings like the
Egyptian buildings were highly functional,
butnotatthecostofstyleanddecoration.[16]
Jewellery of the Art Deco period was also
greatly influenced by Egyptian design as well.
The fascination with Egyptian culture meant
thatartefactsfromTutankhamen’stombwere
reproduced or at the very least elements of
their design were used for highly sought
after jewellery pieces. Although Egyptian
motifs had been used before this time, this
was the first time that they were used to such
an extent in modern, fashionable design.
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10. The Egyptian motifs appeared in Art Deco in
the 1920’s and 1930’s most prominently in the
architecture of Britain and America. In Britain,
perhaps the best surviving example of this
Egyptian inspiration in Art Deco is the Hoover
Building in Perivale.The Carreras Building is
influenced by the Temple of Bubastis, the cat-
headedgoddess.Ithadasenseofspaciousness
and light to match the mystical feeling of
the ancient temple, and was adorned with a
wide variety of Egyptian motifs and designs
In America one of the earliest examples
was the Egyptian Theatre (1922) by Sid
Grauman. However, many of the skyscrapers
in New York built during this era have some
Egyptian influence – even the famous
Empire State Building with its needle-like
point and angular edges similar to many
of the ‘needles’ found in Ancient Egypt.[26]
The rebuilding of San Francisco after the
terrible 1906 earthquake was masterminded
by Timothy Pfleuger. He built a number of
Art Deco buildings including the Castro
Theatre and the Telephone Building.
Pfleuger mixed all types of ancient cultural
influences into his decorative works
including Egyptian and Mayan motifs.[27]
Interior design was also influenced by the
Egyptian motifs from Tutankhamen’s tomb.
The Harrods Egyptian escalator hall in London
may not be the best example of Art Deco, but
it shows how the influence of Egyptian design
continues even as art movements change. The
designer, William George Mitchell said that he
wanted the“staircase to be a walk-in sculpture,
a journey from the Lower Nile to the Upper Nile
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12. COLOUR THEORY
Color in ancient Egypt was used not only in realistic representations of scenes from every life
but to illustrate the heavenly realms of the gods, the afterlife, and the stories and histories of
the deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Each color had its own particular symbolism and was
created from elements found in nature
Colour was regarded as an integral element of all art representations, including wall-
scenes, statuary, tomb goods, and jewelry, and the magical qualities of a specific color
were believed to become an integral part of any object to which it was added.
Each color had its own particular symbolism & was created from elements found in
nature.
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13. Each color was created by mixing various naturally
occurringelementsandeachbecamestandardizedintime
in order to ensure a uniformity in art work. An Egyptian
male, for example, was always depicted with a reddish-
brownskinwhichwasachievedbymixingacertainamount
of the standard red paint recipe with standard brown.
Variations in the mix would occur in different eras but,
overall, remained more or less the same.This color for the
male's skin was chosen for realism in the piece, in order to
symbolize the outdoor life of most males, while Egyptian
women were painted with lighter skin (using yellow
and white mixes) since they spent more time indoors.
COLOURS IN CONTEXT
REALISM IN COLOR
Aesthetic considerations were of great importance
to the Egyptians. Art and architecture is charactized
by symmetry and even their writing system, the
hieroglyphics, were set down in accordance with visual
beauty as an integral aspect of their function. In reading
hieroglyphics, one understands the meaning by noting
which direction the figures are facing; if they face left,
then one reads to the left and, if up or down or right, in
whichever of those directions. The direction of the figures
provides the context of the message and so provides a
means of understanding what it being said.
In the same way, color in Egyptian art must be interpreted in context. In a certain painting,
red might symbolize evil or destruction but the color should not always instantly be
interpreted along those lines. Black is a color often misinterpreted in Egyptian art because
of the modern-day association of black with evil. Images of Tutankhamun, found in his tomb,
sometimes depict him with black skin and these were originally associated with death and
grief by the early archaeologists interpreting the finds; although the association with death
would be correct, and grief did accompany the loss of anyone in ancient Egypt as today, a
proper interpretation would be the association of Tutankhamun in death with Osiris and the
concept of rebirth and resurrection.
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14. Red (desher) - Red was associated with
both fire and blood and so symbolized
vitality and energy but could also be used
to accentuate a certain danger or define
a destructive deity. It is also sometimes
used to signify a dangerous character or
aspect in a story. Blue (irtiu and khesbedj)
– symbolized fertility, birth, rebirth and
life and usually used to depict water and
the heavens.Blue-green, or have some
aspect of blue in them linking the god
of wisdom with the life-giving heavens.
Blue also symbolized protection.. Yellow
(khenet and kenit) - symbolized the sun
and eternity. Yellow was darkened for the
golden flesh-color of the gods or lightened
with white to suggest purity or some
sacred aspect of a character or object.
Green (wadj) - symbolized goodness,
growth, life, the afterlife, and resurrection.
White (hedj and shesep) - symbolized
purity, sacredness, cleanliness, and clarity.
White was the color of Egyptian clothing
and so associated with daily life but was
COLOR CREATION & SYMBOLISM
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15. frequently employed in artistic pieces to
symbolize the transcendent nature of life
as well. Black (kem) -symbolized death,
darkness,theunderworld,aswellaslife,birth,
and resurrection,the symbolic association
of the color with life and fertility may well
have originated in the fertile black silt
deposited by the Nile in its annual flooding
These basic colors were often mixed,
diluted, or otherwise combined to
create colors such as purple, pink, teal,
gold, silver, and other hues. Artists
were not bound by the minerals they
mixed their paints from but only by their
imaginations and talent in creating the
colors they needed to tell their stories.
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16. COLOUR
CLASSIFICATION OF
ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES
OF DESIGN
POINT:The interesting part of this
piece is the pattern of dots around the
outside. The piece had no description
so it is difficult to discern why they
are there, however, the pattern could
just be decorative and designed to
increase symmetry of the amulet.
LINE:This Egyptian Bowl shows the
element of line, both straight and
curved. The lines on the outside create
a border, and the lines become more
free-form as you look into the center
of the bowl, eventually creating fish.
COLOR:This small amulet immediately
draws one's eye due to the brilliant color
in the piece. It will strongly contrast with
almost anything. This particular god
was supposed to protect women during
childbirth, so the choice of blue makes
senseasitissupposedtobeacalmingcolor.
.
ELEMENTS
OF
DESIGN
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17. POINT
FORM
LINE
TEXTURE
FORM:This piece is a three-
dimensional form. It is geometric
instead of organic and was probably
not initially meant for decoration
TEXTURE:This sculpture uses texture
to show the wing and feathers of the
bird depicted. Obviously, this sculpture
would feel nothing like feathers to
the touch, but through texture the
artist was able to create the illusion.
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18. PATTERN:The focal point
of this amulet are the
two jackals facing each
other, creating a pattern
through its symmetry. The
eye immediately focuses on
the emptiness in the center
of the amulet-- possibly not
a mistake, as this amulet was
meant to be buried with a
mummy and could possibly
signify the nothingness that
remains for the mummy in
this life. The hieroglyphs
also appear symmetrical
to the untrained eye
MOVEMENT:Though his
feet are broken now, this
statuette of Amun-Re was
clearly meant to exemplify
movement. He is mid-step.
All previous Egyptian art I
have seen has not implied
movement, which makes
this bronze piece interesting
and somewhat unusual.
BALANCE:This vessel is not
exactly symmetrical, but
it is balanced. By creating
the patterns by hand, there
is some difference in each
segment of the vase, but
the irregularities clearly
PRINCIPLES
OF
DESIGN
PROPORTION:Figures
depicted in ancient
Egyptian art always have
nearly the exact same
proportions, with broad
shoulders and a muscular
upper body invariably
turned to the side, as
well as strong legs which
point forward. That the
proportions are always
exact has always fascinated
me and additionally is a
good example of how one
principle of design can
stay consistent throughout
centuries of a culture.
RHYTHM:. The lines create
the illusion of the rhythm
of a wave. Each line has its
own linear rhythm and that
contributes to the overall
"wave" effect of the piece.
EMPHASIS:he emphasis of
this piece is clearly the red
on top of the figure's head,
which contrasts with the
blues and neutrals of the
figure's body.
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19. MOVEMENT
EMPHASIS
RHYTHM
BALANCE
PROPORTION
PATTERN
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20. GROUP RESEARCH
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23. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The success and final outcome of this project
required a lot of guidance and assistance from
many people and we are extremely privileged
to have got this all along the completion of our
project. All that we have done is only due to such
supervision and assistance and we would not
forget to thank them.
We respect and thank Ms. Shritu Singh, for
providing us an opportunity to do the project
work and giving us all support and guidance
which made us complete the project duly. We
are extremely thankful to her for providing such
a nice support and guidance, although she had
busy schedule managing the college affairs.
We are thankful to and fortunate enough to get
constant encouragement, support and guidance
from all Teaching staffs of the Foundation
Department which helped us in successfully
completing our project work
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24. BIBLIOGRAPHY
meghanmcn.wordpress.com
www.ancient.eu
www.britannica.com
www.essential-humanities.net
www.crystalinks.com
www.ukessays.com
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