Egyptian Art and Culture Project Questions
The Painting Project: You will be a modern day Egyptian artist creating a painting in the ancient Egyptian artistic style. Your painting needs to include the following criteria to receive 500 possible points on the project:
· an Egyptian style human/god/goddess figure representing yourself - your painting should express what you consider or what you would like your social role to be if you lived in ancient Egypt, i.e. crowns, clothing, etc. =100 points
· hieroglyphic writing describing your “statement of remembrance” = how you want to be remembered after you are gone from this life, what you want people to think of you, what your life represented, what you believe your purpose here on earth is, what accomplishments you have achieved, what you think is important about yourself- your life, etc. = 100 points
· use of the flat, outline-style relief art represented on their pyramid interior walls=100 points
· your painting should express what you believe about life after death = what do you think happens to your spirit, soul, body, eternal life existence, non-existence, etc.=100 points
· your painting needs to include an Egyptian cartouche= 100 points
The Research: In order to understand the culture and beliefs of ancient Egypt, you will need to do research for historical, cultural, belief, social, artistic information, and visual image/pictures to use in your painting.
Answer the following questions from the resources provided on websites and books. This will be the art history part of your grade required in the PASS Standards for art. This part will be worth 150 possible points and take a couple of class periods. You will need to do the research in order to be able to include the above criteria in your painting. You will need pictures to draw as well as information.
The Art PASS Standard 2: Visual Art History and Culture – The student will recognize the development of visual art from an historical and cultural perspective.
2. Proficient: Describe the basic ideas underlying several major art movements in historical periods including: Ancient (Egyptian, Greek & Roman), Renaissance, Impressionism/Post-Impressionism and 20th Century art.
Standard 3: Visual Art Expression – The student will observe, select, and utilize a variety of ideas and subject matter in creating original works of art.
1. Create original two-and three-dimensional works of art from observation, memory, and imagination using a variety of art media.
2. Prepare a portfolio (collection) of the learner’s original artwork.
3. Develop and apply skills and techniques using a variety of art media, and processes in making two- and three-dimensional works of art.
Painting: media: tempera, watercolor, oil, and acrylic
Processes: wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, wash, resist, sponge
4. Demonstrate safe and proper use, care, and storage of media, materials, and equipment.
Standard 4: Visual Art Appreciation – The student will appreciate visual art as a vehicle of human expression
2. Demonstrate respect for their work and the work of others.
3. Demonstrate thoughtfulness and care in the completion of artworks
The Grading Scale:
Written research – 150 possible points – 5 points per question answered, i.e. Question 1= 5points, Question 2 = 5 points, Question 3 = 5 points, etc.
Painting – 500 possible points – 100 points per criteria listed above – if you include visual examples with completed drawing and painting on each category = 100 points for that category. If the painting does not show completion in drawing and painting on that category = 0 points – no partial credit for incomplete criteria. This means you need to have the “image” (picture), the drawing stage, the painted stage fully done in order to get the full credit for each specific criterion.
Egyptian Culture and Belief Questions
1. On what continent is Egypt? Draw a map of its location geographically.
2. What great river is the center of Egyptian life? Include it on your map. Why was this river important to Egyptian life, culture, and beliefs?
3. Egypt was divided in to what 2 geographical regions creating 2 periods of history? Include it on your map.
4. What was the unique way that Egyptian art draws the human body? Draw an example of it labeling the frontal view and profile view areas on your drawing.
5. What drawing tool/ method did they use to keep this view of the human body consistent throughout their 2,700 history?
6. What is a mastaba in ancient Egypt? What was the purpose of the false door in the mastaba?
7. What is an Egyptian hieroglyph and how was it used in Egyptian relief art? What was its purpose?
8. List 4-5 social jobs, titles, or roles of the social classes of Egypt. Describe what jobs they did in the society. How did this relate to the Pharaoh ruling government?
9. List 7 important Egyptian gods and describe what they represented in the Egyptian belief system.
10. What did the crowns or headgear of the Egyptian gods show about their origin or role in Egyptian culture? Draw 2-3 examples that you might use in your painting.
11. What did Egyptians believe happened to their spirit and body after they died?
12. In a short paragraph, briefly describe the myth of Osiris or how Egyptian culture came to be in their legends of creation.
13. From what ancient race did Egyptians come? What 4 groups of people did Egyptians believe were created- name and describe them.
14. In the afterlife, how was a person judged in order to determine what happened to him/her? What part of the body was weighed and what was it compared with in order to determine where that person ended up in the afterlife?
15. What was the Book of the Dead?
16. What were the ka and the ba of an Egyptian person? How did it relate to embalming (mummifying) the body of the dead?
17. Why was the body preserved or mummified in Egyptian culture? Who was the most important person in Egypt to be mummified? Why did they mummify that person’s body (not just to preserve it)? What famous architectural structure did the people build in order to keep the mummy safe?
18. In Egyptian beliefs, who was Re and why was he important to their afterlife? What did Re symbolize for the Egyptians?
19. Why were the pyramids built? What purpose did they serve in Egyptian culture, religious beliefs, and social structure? What was placed in the pyramid – why did they put these things in the pyramid? Spiritually, what did this mean?
20. Where were the spirits of an Egyptian headed when they died – what was this place called?
21. What was the Rosetta Stone and how did it help the modern world better understand ancient Egypt?
22. How did the Egyptians permanently record their history?
23. What are the years B.C. of the Old Kingdom – the Age of Pyramids in Egyptian history?
24. Who built the 3 Great Pyramids of Giza? How big are they?
25. Draw an example of an Egyptian sphinx?
26. What social class or job would you like to have had if you lived in ancient Egypt? How can you represent this job/role in your painting?
27. Create a personal cartouche to use in your painting.
28. Write a statement of remembrance to translate into hieroglyphics in your painting.
29. Create a representation of your belief in what happens after death – what is the destination or is there a destination – include this in your painting.
30. If you were to choose an Egyptian god to represent you, which one would you choose and why would you choose it? –Include this in your painting.