Blog #2

This sunken relief sculpture is called Akhenaten and his family. (pg. 73) It shows Akhenaten, his wife Queen Nefertiti, and three of his daughters. (He had six altogether) Akhenaten believed in maat, the philosophical principle of divine truth and it was clearly evident in the realistic portrait of his family. Unlike rulers before and after him, Akhenaten wanted his artrists to portray his family, though royal, in informal situations. Earlier scupltures of Egyptian art (like King Khafre pg. 59 and Pepy II pg. 61) showed royal figures as well as less prominent people (seated scribe pg. 61) in an erect posture, sitting up with their backs straight. Akhenaten's royal family potrait is a high contrast. The royal couple are seated upon cushions lovingly playing with their children and displayed realistically rather than idealistically- which is popular for many royal or authoritive figures. When I saw this relief, I thought of other 'royal' families & how it's becoming more and more popular to see their personal photos. It's as if people find it surprising that presidents' (in America) or queens' (in England) families have lives outside of the public and can smile and bond with their children as well. But it can also be a source to identify with. Like, your president understands where you're comming from & your concerns for your family, he's a family man too! My dad is very interested in politics & history, so when I look through his books based on the history of the 70's, I'll often find photos of JFK and his family. They are often portrayed glamouroulsy, yet still casual and real. (i think it's great how, although i haven't lived through it, i can experience what the 70's was like, w/ photos & all, through him, like what we're doing in this art history class! )

I found it very interesting how this sunken relief, dated in the 18th dynasty, c. 1353-1336 BCE shows a family with their flaws and all; their bodies don't seem strong, and the young girls and dad have deformed heads (egghead shape). Akhenaten actually had a condition that caused his skull bones to fuse at an early age, & a genetic mutation which caused some of his male hormones to convert to female, thus his wide hips and slight female figure.

Thousands of years later though, in Britain & elsewhere, as royal family portraits continued (usually in paintings or photographs), it became more rare to see an authoritive family portrait portrayed like Akhenaten's. If you look at paintings of King Henry VIII's family, they are shown in a serious manner, as well as the photographs of Anastasia's family. (Russian princess) The royal were perceived with serious faces and began to be displayed individually. The paintings often display the royalty in lavish indulgement, jewels, crowns, and with a serious face to provide a sense of power & authority. It wasn't often that they were shown freely playing and smiling with one another which is a contrast to the Akhenaten sunken relief that existed thousands of years before. But the informal family portrait principle began again & is applied to many of America's president's families as well as celebrities. (obama & Jfk's family photos)

the art medium itself, called sunken relief- 'where the outlines of the figures have been carved into the surface of the stone' essentially has the same principle in handmade footprint & handprint impressions! Although i've never had any made when i was a baby, i see them all the time. Though these are made with pressure versus carving, it still is a form of engraving & provides shade & depth within the shapes. the technique is also applied on hollywood's walk of fame, where stars' handprints would be engraved for all to see, another type, in a sense, of art form.