Art as Reflection of Anciant Civilization :: essays papers

Ancient Egytian and kinsfolkical sociaties both(prenominal) made significant contributions to western civilization, specificaly in the areas of politics and social structure. The governmental system of rules of antient Egypt was primarily based on the religios be lifespan that the Pharoah was a divine entity, eyepatch Greek politics were based in a democratic system that valued individuals in a unique way. The poitical and social advancments of both Greek and Egyption civilizations are best reflected in the advancement of each cultures artwork. In the first kingdom of the Egyption civilization the Pharoah rulled as a God-King and dictated the religion and laws of the land. He promoted a polytheistic religion that was used to explain natural phinaminans and life after death. Accourding to this religion all Egyptions not only the ruling class were offered the hope of survival in the next world, as a rejoin for a good life in the present world. The idea of a good life is de fined by the devotees accomplisments in the eyes of Osiris the enounce of the dead. Funeral services were divised to exeplify these belifes and help to guid the spirit of the dead into the afterlife (Cunningham and Reich, 6). The ridge structure of this Thocracy outstandingly limited individualism in all facial expression of life, but most importantly art.The art of the Early kingdom was prodominetly bassed on the divinity of the Pharoh, and his statuse in sociaty. The most famuse example of the Theocracies influance on art would be the Great Spinx and the Pyramids of Chefren. These emence works of art were created to show the importance and divine world-beater of the Pharoah, as well as, to serve as a burial tomb. The Sphix itself is sculped with great percisian and close attension was paid to the basic anatimy of the human face, but the fetures of the Pharoah are idialize. It is a portiat not of an individual but of the concept of divinity (Cunningham and Reich, 9). Th e lion body, run headdress and transendental stare of the Sphinx shows a certain calmness and mystery, that encapsalates the ideal flawlessness of the ideal perfection of the Pharoah.In the Middle Kindom Akhenaton came to power and changed the religius structure of Egypt. He belived in a monotheistic system that placed all belief in one God, Aton-Ra. Akhenaton did not dipict himself as an all powerfull God-King, but a messenger through which Aton-Ra spoke (qtd.