The phenomenon of the canon in the art of ancient Egypt

Monograph of a doctor of art history, professor N.A. Pomerantseva (1933-2014) "The phenomenon of the canon in the art of ancient Egypt" is the scientific development of the problem of the canon in historical and philosophical theoretical and practical understanding. The study is based on the terminological concept of the word "canon", dating back to the meanings "law, norm, rule". From these positions, the origins of the formation of the canon, formed in the practice of the work of masters, are analyzed. The philosophical base of the canon was a figurative-mythological system of the worldview of the ancient Egyptians.
The canon of ancient Egyptian art ensured the synthesis of architectural and plastic compositions with the leading role of architecture. It included a wide range of concepts: the composition of monuments, iconography of images, artistic and technical means of embodiment. The monographs include monuments of ancient Egyptian art: pyramids, temples, decoratively decorated with sculptural and embossed compositions, as well as works of small forms. The work studies in detail the basic canonical types of ancient Egyptian statues and reliefs. A special section is devoted to the architecture of the memorial temples, the problem of the modular structure of individual elements of the temple complex - pylons, hypostal halls, sanctuaries is posed. The special chapter is devoted to the ritual essence of the ancient Egyptian portrait from the early stage of its occurrence to the Hellenistic period. In this regard, the monograph considers the problem of transmitting portrait similarities and techniques of artistic generalization.
Portraits are specially allocated and classified from the point of view of the reflection in them of portraitively recognizable features. All material is presented in accordance with the historical and chronological stages of the development of ancient Egyptian art