Egyptian Vs Greek Art

The American Heritage Dictionary defines Art as human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature; Egyptian artists and Greek artists alike apparently agreed with this notion because their artwork developed focusing on the human figure sculpting and painting it with either mimesis or naturalism in mind. The human figure did not change much between the time period of Egyptian Art and the time period of Greek Art, but the way the human figure was perceived and therefore portrayed began to differ, not significantly however, just noticeably. Egyptian artists fashioned their works of Art around mimesis of the human form. Imitation and mimicry was a principal component of their artwork because many sculptures and paintings were the Artist's way of communicating with the forces above them; Egyptians believed strongly in the afterlife. Archaic Art was influenced less by mimesis and more by naturalism. Greeks advocated the realistic description of life; they were humanistic, believing that man was the measure of all things. They believed that the perfect individual who had a sound mind and a sound body was the ideal individual and this belief surfaced in Greek paintings and sculptures. Both Egyptian and Greek Art depict a realistic portrait of the human figure in relation to the respective time periods, however; each region of people define idealistic in their own manner.

Around 650 BC the relief of the Governor of Thebes, Mentuemhet was found inside of his tomb. Approximately one hundred years later the sculpture of the Kroisos Kouros was discovered in Anavyos. Although both pieces of Art look similar in pose and structure, each one has it's own story to tell. Both sculptures were grave markers; the sculpture of Mentuemhet notifying God of who rested in that temple and what his contributions were to his society and the sculpture of the Kroisos notifying people that passed by, that a person who had gave their life, possibly in the name of bravery, lie beneath them. Both figures are tall, lean, and exude power with their clenched fists and toned bodies. When looking at the heads of the two figures both have faces that are framed by their headdresses. In their faces however, it is visible where the differences lie. Mentuemhet has a strong jaw and carries no emotion; the Kroisos on the other hand displays the "Archaic Smile" which Greek artists began using to give figures a more humanistic appearance. Greek artists were realistic, hence why the Kroisos is free of clothing unlike the Mentuemhet. The Mentuemhet and the Kroisos both gave off the feeling of movement with their extended left foot but the Kroisos seems to actually move because he is free of his background. The Kroisos is an example of the Greek's infatuation with the ideal man. This was not exactly representative of what men of that time period looked like but it was representative of what men of that time period should have strived to look and be like. The Mentuemhet was representative off what Mentuemhet looked like it was an imitation