Atsushi Tawa and Ancient Egyptian art

Ancient Egyptian Art

an example of an Egyptian mural

I wanted to look at Egyptian art because when I have seen it before I remember the figures that are used in the work to be very flat bold images something that I have in my work. The work is very old; it was thought to start being produced about 1000BC. The work ranges from sculpture, paintings and architecture, all of the work was all in the same style, highly stylised and very symbolic.

This was because all of the work was often to decorate something that was being transported to the afterlife something that was really important to the Egyptian people. The believed that there was a hole other life after death and the change from one to the other had a process this was often symbolised in a lot of work. The work was very respectful to the Egyptian gods they didn't want to offend then before they were taken into the good afterlife.

The size of the figure in the art was due to the importance of them in society the Pharaoh was always the biggest because he was the leader and the most important. He was often drawn bigger than life sized to make out he had superhuman powers. All the art work is placed in places of respect to the gods such as temple and tombs. The method that they used to paint the walls and paper was unknown they, but it is something really strong to have with stood for all this time with almost no signs of aging. I think that this has given me a clear idea of why they produced their work which doesn't have any relation to mine, however I have learnt that the figure that I have been repeatedly drawing has a power stance which is something I find really interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_ancient_Egypt

Atsushi Tawa

Ramigold 2011 72 X 32 X 25 Cm

I wanted to look at Tawa's work because of his use of figure in her sculpture and it is clear that his work is about identity which my work does so I thought that it would help me develop my work into the final stages. Tawa works in most videos continuing on the same theme of identity and individuality throughout his work. He wants her work to readdress society, but in a way that doesn't use politics.

His figures have a feeling of emptiness within them which is something that Tawa was trying to achieve, he doesn't want to give them an identity he wants them to become anyone they viewer wishes them to be. This is in terms of his sculpture; they have crystal like forms over their faces so you can't see what they look like or make eye contact with them, but the crystals suggest beauty and money.

This is the point that Tawa is trying to get across without taking a political view. I like the work because of the simplistic of it, but I also like the videos and instillations that have been created. I think that I would like to experiment with video in this way with my figures in my own work.

http://www.atsushitawa.org/statement.html