Alrik, I think we had that same exhibition at the Civilization Museum in Montreal last year.
Lookee what I found!
Characteristics of Ancient Eguptian ArtBalance and Symmetry
Balanced forms and compositions, clear outlines, simplified shapes, and flat areas of color were used to create order and clarity, and scenes with figures were arranged in horizontal rows (called registers). Momentary, fleeting images such as expressions of emotion or strenuous physical activity were not often treated because they reflected transitory, not permanent aspects of life. Nor were Egyptian artists much interested in capturing the play of light and shadow or the illusion of space and atmosphere in outdoor scenes.
Measured Proportions
When preparing to carve a statue or decorate a wall, Egyptian artists first drew horizontal and vertical guidelines on the surface so the proportions of the figures would be consistent with the established canon. The result of such measured proportions and relationships was an art of remarkable order and uniformity that maintains the same balance whether in a colossal statue or a figure in hieroglyphic script. The guidelines also helped to arrange rows and groups of figures in a unified manner.
During most of Egyptian history the proportions of the human figure were related to the width of the palm of the hand. The entire figure from feet to hairline is eighteen palms high (the top of the head was not included because of the variety of headdresses and crowns); the face is two palms high. The shoulders are aligned at sixteen palms from the base of the figure, the elbows align at twelve from the base, and the knees at six.
A Geometric Basis
The structural elements of Egyptian art are the cube and horizontal and vertical axes. In creating three-dimensional sculpture in stone, artists started with a block upon which they drew guidelines on all sides. They then carved until the figure emerged, renewing the guidelines from stage to stage. Egyptian sculptors seldom completely freed figures from the stone block, a fact that reinforces the sense of the stone's permanence. This contributes to the centered and poised character of Egyptian statues and reinforces their frontality and axiality.
Statue of Hatshepsut (Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C.)
To ensure that a stone statue would be permanent not only in the way it looked but also in the stone's resistance to breakage, the Egyptians did not carve out the spaces between the arms and torso or between the legs; and the lower part of seated figures emerge only partially from the blocklike seat.
Conjectural reconstruction showing how guidelines may have been drawn on a block of stone for a sculpture, based on a papyrus of the Roman Period.
Multiple Points of View
When depicting the human body on a two-dimensional surface, artists used different points of view to show each part of the body in its most complete form. For instance, the shoulders are seen from the front. The torso and hips turn in three-quarter view so that the legs and arms can be seen in profile. The head is also shown in profile--to display simultaneously the back and the front, with protruding nose and lips--but the eye is drawn as if seen from the front, looking directly at the viewer.
Scale
Size indicates relative importance. Images of the king are often much larger than life to symbolize the ruler's superhuman powers. In wall reliefs and paintings wives and family members, servants and entertainers, animals, trees, and architectural details are usually shown in smaller scale than the figures of the king, high official, or tomb owner.
The wife of the deceased (a lady-in-waiting named Roy) and her three daughters (all chantresses of Amun); the little man is a priestly servant. Their sizes indicate their relative importance. (Scene from tomb 75 at Western Thebes)
Naturalistic Details
Egyptian art characteristically demonstrates a keen observation of nature. Although proportions and poses of sculpture were based upon strict conventions, subtle indications of musculature and bone structure suggest the artists were well aware of anatomy.
Color
Egyptian artists used pure colors, both warm and cool, in creating jewelry and in painting reliefs, wooden figures and coffins, and details on stone sculpture. Colors had not only aesthetic appeal but also symbolic meaning. Blue and green were associated with water, the Nile, and vegetation. Yellow and gold stood for the sun and the sun god. Red and red-orange had complex meanings involving the desert, power, blood, and vitality.
Surface Contrasts
Egyptian stone sculpture, even when carved from the hardest materials, usually has highly polished surfaces that contrast with finely incised details and patterns, whose surfaces are more rough.
Hieroglyphs and Art
From the very beginning of Egyptian history, writing and art were inseparable. Before 3000 B.C., in the same time that scribes were finalizing the standards and signs of hieroglyphic writing, artists were creating conventions for representation of figures and objects in sculpture, painting, and relief. Consequently, most Egyptian works of art are actually larger forms of the figures in hieroglyphs. For example, the figure of a seated man, which appears frequently in sculpture and painting, is also the hieroglyphic ideogram for "man." As much care was taken in drawing the hieroglyphs as in creating the images in art. In the ancient Egyptian language the same word (sekh) is used for writing, drawing, and painting.
Symbols
Egyptian beliefs were communicated through a language of symbols recognized and understood by all Egyptians. These symbols were associated with the natural world. The sun, animals, birds, and insects, the Nile and Nile vegetation were used to identify and visualize the forces in the world as the Egyptians knew it.
The multiple powers of the gods and goddesses were symbolized by depicting deities as humans with animal heads or sometimes completely as animals. Common forms of major deities wore headdresses with particular symbols to identify particular characteristics.
The king in art was identified by special regalia symbolizing his power to maintain order over chaos. Among the most potent symbols were those used in funerary art, which expressed the Egyptians' desire for life after death.
Pose and Gesture
Poses of major figures were usually relatively motionless, limited to standing, walking, sitting, and kneeling. A number of arm and hand gestures were used to explain in greater detail what the figure was doing.
worshiping: both arms extended forward with hands upraised;
presenting, offering: both arms extended forward with an object held in one or both hands;
ready to receive offerings: seated with one or both arms resting on one's lap, palms down
summoning: one arm extended forward with the palm open
protecting: both arms extended out to the sides with the palms facing forward
rejoicing: both arms extended out to the sides with palms turned away from the body
praising: crouched on one knee, one arm raised and the other held against the chest with clenched fist
mourning: arms raised with palms turned toward the face
Poses of less important people such as farmers, fishermen, herdsmen, soldiers, and craftsmen were more active.
*The Art of Ancient Egypt, a web resource