Characteristic features of the Amarna Art

Art during the time of Akhenaton under went three mains phases:

<!--The first phase was ordinary or traditional art and this was during his co-regency with his father

<!--The second phase was characterized by exaggeration. It was known as the Theban phase. The artists exaggerated very much in representing the king and the queen as can be seen in the four colossal statues of Akhenaton

<!--The third phase was characterized by realism in art and this was known as the Amarna phase. Akhenaton convinced the artists to leave all traditional measures of art and to follow naturalism or realism. This was considered as a revolution in art just as the main religions revolution.

The Amarna as characterized by special features:

<!--The scene was dominated by god Aton; it was the main scene, and it was represented in sunken relief, then the king, the queen and their daughters

<!--Aton was always represented in the tombs accompanied by Akhenaton who was considered his prophet and the only link between him and the people

<!--The scenes represented the relation between the king and his family in domestic behavior. We can see examples of slabs showing Akhenaton and his wife playing with their daughters and kissing them

<!--The art was realistic, so they used to represent the body with its deformation even if it was the king who was suffering from endocrine disorder; a disease called Florich syndrome which caused his feminine glands to be active more than the masculine. This resulted in wide chest, narrow waist, wide thighs and slim legs

<!--The composite statue in stone was an innovation in art. The sculptors used to make the statue of different kinds of stones

<!--The representation of some unusual features such as the pierced ear lobes, the 2 lines under the chin and the sandals

<!--Children were no longer represented with their fingers in their mouths and side lock, but they were represented playing and sitting with their family