Images Of Akhenaten In Ancient Egyptian Art

Images of Akhenaten, such as the statue from the temple at Karnak, depict the start of an artistic revolution where images of royalty are drastically changed. This new style of artwork shows a realistic appearance of people that almost exaggerates their humanly aspects rather than the “perfect form” Egyptians had been creating for centuries.

Differences between earlier Egyptian art showing human form and these forms

Figure paintings and sculptures from the thirteenth century BC were all created to appear generally the same with hardly any distinct features. It was not important to the Egyptians to record exactly what the Pharaoh looked like, but to declare their god-like power through their faultless appearance. The early images of royalty

It is unknown why figures were suddenly morphed into these strange alien-looking creatures, but there are several theories: A common assumption is that Akhenaten suffered from a disease called Marfan Syndrome that effected his body’s development, so the artist made everyone from that time look deformed in attempt to cover up the king’s flaws. Also, the artists Thutmose and Bek wrote that their ruler was the one who taught them, so it is assumed that Akhenaten was the one choosing the direction of the strange new style. With Akhenaten being in charge of this, it is thought that his form was used to show Egypt that he is a representation of their new god and that the royal family is divine so only through them can you reach Aten. Although, this theory is hard to prove because not only were the royals portrayed this way, everyone was. Separation of God and the people of Egypt was never as strong as it was during the Amarna period; Therefore, it is another presumption that this was purely just a new abstract style that really began developing prior to Akhenatens rein. This artistic revolution is still being researched and despite mummies found, there is no proof pointing us in one direction or the other, so for now it will remain a