Colours on sculptures, coffins, and architecture had both aesthetic and symbolic qualities. Most of the minerals were available from local supplies, like iron-oxide pigments (red ochre, yellow ochre, and umber) white derived from the calcium carbonate found in Egypt's extensive limestone hills and blue and green from azurite and malachite.īesides their decorative effect, colours were also used for their symbolic associations. These colours were derived from ground minerals, synthetic materials ( Egyptian blue, Egyptian green, and frits used to make glass and ceramic glazes), and carbon-based blacks (soot and charcoal). Egyptian artists primarily worked in black, red, yellow, brown, blue, and green pigments. Some of the best preserved examples of ancient Egyptian architecture were the tombs, covered inside with sculpted reliefs painted in bright colours or just frescos. Thanks to the dry climate of Egypt, the original colours of many ancient sculptures in round, reliefs, paintings and various objects were well preserved. Reconstruction of a hall from an Assyrian palace, by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1849 Non-Western artworks, like Chinese temples, Oceanian Uli figures, or Maya ceramic vases, were also decorated with colours. the whole past has reached us colorless." Polychrome was and is a practice not limited only to the Western world. As André Malraux stated, "Athens was never white but her statues, bereft of color, have conditioned the artistic sensibilities of Europe. In reality, the pre-Renaissance past was full of colour, and all the Greco-Roman sculptures and Gothic cathedrals, that are now white, beige or grey, were initially painted in bright colours. When looking at artworks and architecture from antiquity and the middle ages, people tend to believe that they were monochrome. Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. ![]() 1883 reconstruction of color scheme of the entablature on a Doric temple
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |