Ägypten. Die Kunst der Pharaonen

by Irmgard Woldering

Ancient Egyptian culture is one of the oldest and most magnificent of mankind. For a long while, the glories of ancient Egypt were not recognized in the Western world. Grecian culture so overshadowed the acomplishment of the ancient peoples that, except for the Romans, the others were ignored. In the 18th century, however, recognition of the Egyptian contribution to the world's culture began. After the first discoveries of sculpture, reliefs and artifacts, interest in Egypt grew tremendously. The author illustrates a distinguishing characteristic of Egyptian culture as illustrated in their faith of immortality. No other culture or country saw men and women so centered on the concern for life after death. The Pyramids, the sphinxes, temples and tombs, through their impressive timeless power and silent grandeur, even today bear witness to mankind's hope of eternal life. In clear text and amazingly fine illustrations, Irmgard Woldering presents this new addition to the Art of the World series, a brilliant survey of the Golden Age of Egyptian art.

Genres: Egypt, History, Art, Nonfiction, Art History

Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered a copy of "The Art of Egypt' by Irmgard Woldering in the boat house above an old ten horse-power outboard motor. If serendipity puts a copy of this introduction for laymen to Egyptian art into your hands, read it before you dispose of it. I doubt that anything better has been produced in the sixty years since this charming little work was published.
At the time of writing the author was the director of the August Kestner Museum of Hanover. Thus the book has numerous photos from German collections including not only the August Kestner Museum but also the Museum für Ägyptisches Kunst und Papyrussammlung of Berlin which few Anglo-Saxon readers would have visited when the book was published.
The poor quality of the photographic reproductions is the prime weakness of Woldering's book. However, this is of little consequence. "The Art of Egypt" is not a coffee table book; it is a history. The illustrations are chosen to support the author's text not to dazzle the eye.
More than compensating for the weaknesses of the older printing technology are the excellent drawings and floor plans that the book contains.
The reader should remember that the author is an archeologist not an art historian. She provides excellent detail on the techniques used by the artists, always indicates the site the object was from and the dynasty for which it was executed. The original title "Ägypten. Die Kunst der Pharaonen" better describes the author's viewpoint than the English one. Woldering believes that she is writing about Pharaonic art, not the art of the Egyptian people. The works were produced either to project an image that the Pharaohs wished to project to their subjects or to support the Pharaohs in the afterlife. This Pharaonic art is the exact opposite of modern art which is a vehicle of expression for the individual artist. The sculptors and painters of the Pharaonic period rigorously concealed themselves and their personalities from the viewers of their works.
Woldering's book is cautious, rigorous and ultimately highly rewarding.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy I found here. While the language and writing style are outdated, a vast majority of the information was not. The information that has been proven/disproven/challenged in more recent years is easily found online. With historical books of this era, (1960s) I have found that I look up and type to verify a lot of the information, but this one was pretty well researched. The discrepancies are mostly about the dates and names of monuments in the middle and late kingdom.

[Curt Hopkins Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, published in 1963, is very old-fashioned. The constant talk of the "decadence" of the Amarna and Late periods, the yammering on about "spiritual content" whatever in God's name that is, are bad enough. The unremarkable writing, the poorly rendered illustrations, and the Christmas Polaroid plates (which are frequently impossible to connect with the text and vice-versa), and the absence of both telling detail and interesting conclusions seal the deal.

[Donna Krebs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed. The book was confusing and mostly dull. It needed many more photographs to actually show the art!!!

[Constantine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the phrasing in the book was out dated, but it was an interesting read