The Canonical and the Dynamic: A Model for Understanding Artistic Change in the 18th Dynasty
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Jun Yi Wong
Summary
The 18th Dynasty of Egypt saw the introduction of various new artistic elements often described as ‘expressive’ or ‘naturalistic’. This development appears to have occurred within a short time span, and many of its details remain unclear. This article examines this phenomenon with particular focus on palace decorations from Tell el-Dab’a, Malqata and Amarna. The three sites display many artistic commonalities, despite the changes in temple decoration that occurred within the same period. It is proposed that this discrepancy reflects two separate strands of artistic development, namely (i) a canonical style predominantly found in religious and funerary contexts; and (ii) a ‘dynamic’ style that is epitomised by the palace decorations. Analyses are made regarding the development of the dynamic style, its influence on Amarna art, as well as the mechanism of its transmission.
© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Neue Alabasterfragmente aus dem Sarkophagdeckel Sethos‘ I. im Kairener Museum
- A Dead Man’s Contract: P. BM EA 10077 Revisited
- Presence and Absence of the Tomb Owner in Wall Scenes and Funerary Models
- Unpublished Administrative Ostraca from Gurna
- Brilliant Corruptions: Scribal Influence on Variation in the Coffin Texts
- Four Coptic Letters from Thebes
- Demotic Papyrus Hamburg 39 (inv. no. 35.2806): A New Religious Text from Roman Egypt
- Das Honigmaß der Papyri Ebers und Hearst
- Fieser Fluch oder gütliche Einigung? Das Rätsel des Holzobjekts ÄMUL 5512
- “Its Leaves Are Like the Daughter of the Willow”: The Herbal Genre in Ancient Egypt
- Verbal Art in the Heat of the Sinai: Harwerre’s Inscription (IS 90)
- The Canonical and the Dynamic: A Model for Understanding Artistic Change in the 18th Dynasty
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Neue Alabasterfragmente aus dem Sarkophagdeckel Sethos‘ I. im Kairener Museum
- A Dead Man’s Contract: P. BM EA 10077 Revisited
- Presence and Absence of the Tomb Owner in Wall Scenes and Funerary Models
- Unpublished Administrative Ostraca from Gurna
- Brilliant Corruptions: Scribal Influence on Variation in the Coffin Texts
- Four Coptic Letters from Thebes
- Demotic Papyrus Hamburg 39 (inv. no. 35.2806): A New Religious Text from Roman Egypt
- Das Honigmaß der Papyri Ebers und Hearst
- Fieser Fluch oder gütliche Einigung? Das Rätsel des Holzobjekts ÄMUL 5512
- “Its Leaves Are Like the Daughter of the Willow”: The Herbal Genre in Ancient Egypt
- Verbal Art in the Heat of the Sinai: Harwerre’s Inscription (IS 90)
- The Canonical and the Dynamic: A Model for Understanding Artistic Change in the 18th Dynasty
