Egyptian-Art-Inspired Monumental Design

Drawing Media

Ancient Egyptian Art

• Much of Egyptian art took the form of grandiose buildings and architecture to honor Egyptian gods, pharaohs, and even noblemen and women

Pyramid Complex at Giza

Temple Complex at Karnak dedicated to Amen-Re

Temple Complex at Karnak dedicated to Amen-Re

He’s so tiny!!! Which means these columns are HUGE!!! (66 ft. High)

This hall is known as theGreat Hypostyle Hall (meaning it has a LOTof columns supportingthe roof!)

Hatshepsut’s Mortuary complex at Deir el-Bahri (near Thebes)

Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

Nefertari

• Ramses II’s principal wife• Ramses ordered construction of a grand

temple for her

Assignment

• If you were in a position (like the pharaohs were) to construct giant monuments or buildings, what would you build?– This refers to current day: if right now you were super rich and had

the resources to build whatever you wanted, what would it be?– Why would you build it? Who would it “honor”?– What would it be made of?– What purpose would it serve? – Who would be allowed to access it?– Would it be just aesthetic, or would it be functional?– Would it serve any humanitarian purposes?

• To help people, animals, or the environment?

Assignment

• Something to consider as you begin designing:– What is important to people everywhere?– If this is going to be a giant monument, consider

who has to look at it! – Would people come from far away to see it?

Assignment

• You won’t actually have to build this, so don’t hold back!

• Instead, you will create a series of drawings/blueprints that map out what it would look like on the outside from various perspectives as well as the inside from various perspectives

Washington Monument, Washington D.C.; built to honor George Washington, this is an obelisk, a common

structure in Egyptian architecture!

Egyptian Obelisks were once a common part of Egyptian architecture, but other flourishing civilizations plundered them out of Egypt over time, and now only a few

remain in Egypt. Usually placed in pairs at the entrances to temples, symbolized the sun god, Re

Statue of Liberty, New York; Designed by Gustav Eiffel and given to America as a gift from France! Symbol of liberty/freedom (broken

chains around feet, she is walking forward freely)

US Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial), Arlington, Virginia, near Washington D.C.; Dedicated to all Marine Corps personnel who

have died in defense of the US (the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII)

Little Rock Nine Memorial, Little Rock, Arkansas; Civil Rights

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota; Originally intended to honor western heroes (i.e. Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody), ultimately honors

national presidential icons

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri; Built as a monument to the westward expansion of America

Olmec Colossal Head, Mexico; Thought to be a portrait of an important Olmec leader (these sculptures range from 5-12 ft. tall)

Tikal, Guatemala; Ancient Mayan city (Temple I, Temple of the Giant Jaguar): Temple-mausoleum of a great Tikal ruler, Hasaw Chan K’awil, who died in 732 CE. His body was buried in a vaulted chamber under the

pyramid, and his portrait was once modeled in stucco on the top of the pyramid

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil; Symbol of Brazilian Christianity

“Big Ben,” England; 4-faced chiming clock tower

The Eiffel Tower, France; Entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair

The Grand Louvre Pyramids, France; New entrance to museum of art and history

Colosseum, Italy; Amphitheater for “entertainment”

Parthenon, Greece; Former temple dedicated to Athena (patron of Athens)

Moai, Easter Island; The living faces of deified ancestors

Sydney Opera House, Australia; Performing arts center

The Forbidden City, China; Imperial palace/home to emperors and Chinese government for a time

The Great Wall of China; Protection from foreign attack/invasion

Taj Mahal: India; A mausoleum for an emperor’s favorite wife, a Persian princess

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