Historically, the artwork has been a source of inspiration amongst individuals regarding drawings, painting, and pictures among other. The artwork has diversified the range of human activities in creating visuals, conceptual ideas and expressing other author’s imaginative ideas (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields 170). The artwork chosen for analysis is the Great Pyramid of Giza also known as called Khufu’s Pyramid. It the oldest and the largest amongst the three pyramids located in Giza necropolis in Egypt (Handwerk). Moreover, it is the remaining seven wonder of the world (Handwerk). The mysterious structure is believed to convey the power of the leader by acting as the monumental tomb for the fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu constructed 4707 years ago (Bartlett 300). The relic remains to be a mystery since the ancient engineers have no idea on how the pyramid was built despite them learning about the people who made the artefacts (Handwerk). This paper examines the formal, stylistic and contextual analysis of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Formal and Stylistic Analysis
Formal examination intends to scrutinise the explanation of the visual structure depending on the arrangement of certain elements in the pyramid and how they function in the structure (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields 178). The great pyramid has become the tallest human-made over the years (Bartlett 299). Initially, the structure was covered by casing stones that formed the smooth outer layer unlike what viewers see in the present day which is the structure of the underlying core (Calvert). Consequently, it is evident that the stones formed the outside layer, however, erosion caused the loss of its pyramidion and external coating, since they are visible on the base of the pyramid and the small upper part (Calvert). Notably, there have been some theories regarding the construction technique of the great pyramid. However, the most viable concept based on the fact that the monument was constructed by moving huge stones from a quarry, dragging and placing them into position (Calvert).
On the other hand, the stylist analysis encompasses the visual work that has been shared among various tasks to make the pyramid recognisable to numerous people (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields 180). Notably, different works by multiple artists have portrayed the monument to be the largest in Giza. More so, it is believed to be the monumental tomb of King Khufu, hence, acting as a relic of his dynasty. The pyramid is alleged to have been constructed 4707 years ago (Bartlett 300). Noteworthy, the monument has a total mass estimated to be 5.9 million tonnes; thus, the adequate workforce of 100,000 slaves was used to ensure that they finished the work in the predicted 20 years (Hodge).
Contextual Analysis
The analysis portrays the historical and cultural setting of the artefact. The Great Pyramid of Khufu reflects the ancient period of the fourth dynasty of King Khufu. Over the years, the pyramid is believed to reflect the culture of the people of Egypt by acting as the monumental tomb of King Khufu (Handwerk). Moreover, the mysterious structure is believed to have been constructed by thousands of slaves to portray the political system in the old years, where slaves provided the workforce for any construction that the king needed. Lastly, the pyramid reflects the biographical life of the king, with the southern side having model boat pits with several disassembled vessels that are believed to be used by the king (Calvert).
Conclusively, the Great Pyramid of Khufu has been the oldest and the most massive human-made structure in the world. The artefact acts as a monumental tomb for King Khufu and is believed to have constructed many thousands of years ago. The formal analysis presents the pyramid created from quarry stones that were dragged and put into position, while the stylistic analysis encompasses different works that have been written by various authors regarding the tomb to present the recognition of the pyramid globally. On the other hand, the contextual analysis portrays the historical and cultural setting of the monument to show the culture of the Egyptian community. Lastly, visually, studying the artefact visually, presents more ideas that are easy to envision without being in the specific location of the pyramid. Therefore, I intend to agree with the information provided, since many of the works researched provide similar facts about the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Appendix
Exhibit: Selected Artwork: Great Pyramid of Khufu
Dimensions of the pyramid: (481 feet tall above plateau)
Source: (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields)
Works Cited
Bartlett, Christopher. "The design of the Great Pyramid of Khufu." Nexus Network Journal (2014): 299-311. Document.
Calvert, Amy. Pyramid of Khufu. 2018. Web. 20 10 2018. .
Dewitte, Debra J., Ralph M. Larmann and M. Kathryn Shields. Gateway to Art: Understanding the visual arts. London: Thame & Hudson, 2015. Web.
Handwerk, Brian. Pyramids at Giza. 2015. Web. 20 10 2018. .
Hodge, Mark. Incredible discovery made inside Great Pyramid of Giza. 31 6 2018. Web. 20 10 2018. .
