Compare-Contrast on Ancient Egyptian Arts and Ancient Greek Arts - Research Paper Example

Ancient Egyptian Arts vs. Ancient Greek Arts The arts of ancient Egypt are different from the arts of ancient Greece. When the art forms of each arecompared, one could notice two main differences. First and foremost, ancient Egyptian arts look stiff and not that realistic while ancient Greek arts seem to be alive and real. When one sees an ancient Egyptian art, he or she could observe the stiff portrayal of the characters involved. The bodies and objects are in one position. It is as if they were fixed in an area when they were drawn by the Egyptian artist.

One could think that the positioning of the characters was done for a strict reason. The ancient Egyptians could have been very concerned on how the characters will be portrayed. The carefulness in drawing the characters involved is very notable. Verily, the stiffness nature of the characters portrayed could make a person say that the characters are just representations and not true. One could not entertain the idea that the characters were drawn or painted in an actual setting. Nevertheless, the ancient Egyptian arts are very attractive.

Actually, the stiffness character of ancient Egyptian arts is associated to the beliefs and practices of Egypt’s primitive society. In the past, Egyptians gave importance to the exact portrayal of nature and actual life (“Art”). Exactness was actually viewed by them in terms of being able to draw the identifying features of the subject’s physical appearance. In such case, it is to be expected that in ancient Egyptian arts, the realistic appearance of an object is not given much attention.

With regard to ancient Greek arts, one could notice the realistic portrayal of the objects and characters involved (Hill; Newby, qtd. in Bispham et al. 49). Every detail of the objects and characters are seriously attended. For instance, in ancient Greek painting involving humans, one could see the lively and natural portrayal of human bodies (Pynt and Higgs 56). It seems that the humans are moving. Their actions seem to convey the idea that the painting was drawn using live characters. The facial expressions of the characters are also emphasized.

This gives more emotion to the painting. As a result, an observer could easily be affected emotionally. Another difference between the two arts is that the primitive people in Egypt use arts to symbolize their culture and traditions, whereas, the ancient people in Greece make arts to express their sentiments. In every ancient Egyptian art, one could expect that the emphasized objects are highly valued by the Egyptians. The Egyptians actually utilize the objects to signify the power of their Pharaohs, gods, and goddesses (“Art”).

They also use it to determine the social status of the subjects portrayed. Significantly, the colors applied to the objects have meanings too. For instance, blue and green represent life while red epitomizes power and vitality (“Art”). On the other hand, arts in ancient Greece are created for the purpose of gathering support from the masses with regard to a public issue. Oftentimes, one would observe a contrasting lifestyle in ancient Greek arts. Greeks have a formal basis for their arts as compared to the Egyptians.

Works Cited “Art in Ancient Egypt.” Crystalinks. Crystalinks, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. . Bispham, Edward, et al. The Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome. George Square, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Print. Hill, Suzanne. “Three Periods of Ancient Greek Arts: The Archaic, the Classical, and the Hellenistic.” Suite101. Suite101, 26 Aug. 2006. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. . Pynt, Jenny, and Joy Higgs. A History of Seating, 3000 Bc to 2000 Ad: Function Versus Aesthetics. Cambria: Cambria Press, 2010. Print.