The Amarna Art: Akhenaten and his existence under the sun

This Amarna period, about 1353-1336 BCE, initiated the latest art form which totally contradicted what was revered and known during the Egyptian traditions. This Pharaoh Amenhotep IV did not only alter the name to Akhenaten from Amenhotep, and their religion of prehistoric Egypt to monotheistic from polytheistic, but he challenged the Egyptian society norm thru depicting his reign within the hugely different means from the rulers that came before him. Previously to Akhenaten's risen to the throne, the Egyptian art was heavily focused and, stagnant on permanence mutually on the subject and on the object itself.

When Akhenaten turned to be the Egyptian Pharaoh during 1353 BCE, he seized it upon him to alter the standards of culture and art. This was proposed to aid in solidification of the solo god Aten, and also to separate the Akhenaten reign from his predecessors. However, for an artistic community had been drastically unlikely from what it was before. Naturalistic physical traits, familial affection, and solo god Aten changed the unrealistic human proportion, god-given leadership image and the rigidity of the past. Just before Akhenaten's time, this Pharaoh in particular had been routinely depicted with broad, wide shoulders, the tough body, and the ageless, emotionless face. Always the normal royal headdress and the false beard were portrayed, and the posture seemed to be immovable and rigid—as though this Pharaoh himself had been immovable from this throne.  Each image had been similarly crafted despite this Pharaoh age, and forged in lasting mediums to make it last throughout the ages.  The attributes spoke to pharaoh's strength being the ruler and the durability of his lead and of Egypt.

However, Akhenaten, introduced that much more ambiguous shape that break away from that tradition of the past.  The body portrayal was female in nature, making this he appeared quite androgynous—both feminine and masculine. The torso became slim and with hips seeming wider enough for birthing, the neck, face, and the fingers were extended. Akhenaten did chose to sustain his beard and the diadem of Egypt, and also the Pharaoh crook, but his imperfections had been highlighted instead of being hidden—as recorded in his overly longer forehead and the pudgy belly. There were rumors that Akhenaten had been the sickly man and therefore his elongated skull with the rounded belly can be attributed to his illness. The details included in this art introduced the latest sense of realism, which had not been there in the past.

Akhenaten body is further changed as the posture is even more fluid than what it had previously been witnessed in the Egyptian art. The artists tried to concentrate on making the more genuine visions of the Pharaoh, break-away from the conventional stationary depictions to illustrate emotions and movement. You can read more.