Fayum art is the term that refers to the wooden board portraits that were highly regarded as a tradition and a distinguished art form in the ancient world. They were found mainly in Egypt, and more specifically in the Fayum Basin, which explains their name. These portraits were highly realistic and most often painted for graves and attached to mummies.
The name is now attached to a style of painting, though it traditionally came from a geographical location in Egypt where the renowned portraits started to emerge. Representations of Mummies were highly popular to begin with, from 100 BC to first century AD. After this period, the form continued to change right up to the Byzantine period where it was generally quite altered. The beginnings and the roots, however, are unmistakable.
The portraits were used to cover the faces of the mummies, and not their whole body. After the body and face was wrapped in several layers of cloth, then the wooden panel would be attached onto the deceased's face. For this reason, the paintings always depict a single person's face and usually from the top of his head to the upper chest.
Today, the majority of these renowned portraits have been taken away from the bodies they were buried with and studied closely. It has become clear that more influence lies within Ancient Greece than Egypt. It should also be noted that they can be separated into two styles, wax paintings and tempera portraits.
On the tombs of the rich, you would usually find paintings of a higher quality known as encaustic portraits. The majority of these pieces of work were found in excellent condition, due to the warm climate all of Egypt, throughout most of the year. This helped in maintaining the rich, vivid colors and impressive decorations
Fayum art is greatly respected globally. The paintings are famous for their dull, plain colors in the background, which contrast and help emphasize the rich colors of the actual portrait. This artwork is renowned all over the world as the mark of a flourishing artistic period. fayum art
The name is now attached to a style of painting, though it traditionally came from a geographical location in Egypt where the renowned portraits started to emerge. Representations of Mummies were highly popular to begin with, from 100 BC to first century AD. After this period, the form continued to change right up to the Byzantine period where it was generally quite altered. The beginnings and the roots, however, are unmistakable.
The portraits were used to cover the faces of the mummies, and not their whole body. After the body and face was wrapped in several layers of cloth, then the wooden panel would be attached onto the deceased's face. For this reason, the paintings always depict a single person's face and usually from the top of his head to the upper chest.
Today, the majority of these renowned portraits have been taken away from the bodies they were buried with and studied closely. It has become clear that more influence lies within Ancient Greece than Egypt. It should also be noted that they can be separated into two styles, wax paintings and tempera portraits.
On the tombs of the rich, you would usually find paintings of a higher quality known as encaustic portraits. The majority of these pieces of work were found in excellent condition, due to the warm climate all of Egypt, throughout most of the year. This helped in maintaining the rich, vivid colors and impressive decorations
Fayum art is greatly respected globally. The paintings are famous for their dull, plain colors in the background, which contrast and help emphasize the rich colors of the actual portrait. This artwork is renowned all over the world as the mark of a flourishing artistic period. fayum art
No comments:
Post a Comment