Review by Choice Review
Ancient Egyptian art is famous for its poor representation of the human body, 4,000 years of constancy, and megalomaniacal motivations. Its remains include hieroglyphics, but they only provide holy liturgies. Malek (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK) is likely the most outstanding scholar of Egyptian fine arts, language, and what archaeology and experts have indicated so far of Egyptian sociology and history. He chose several hundred art works from museums or sites for excellent color pictures, each labeled with title, find, and present site, date, medium, and size, along with descriptive and interpretative text. For Malek, the significant aspects of the art are the subjects and the media. Malek mentions commonly misunderstood data or exceptions to some facet of Egyptian art and notes the first examples of styles, subjects, mediums, and myths and when and how they evolved. The book is set up with separate discontinuous entries and is likely to be read at random. Malek offers a thorough survey, choosing pieces from the less studied that begin and end the historical period. Good glossary, chronology, and index; no notes; rudimentary map. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through professionals. E. L. Anderson formerly, Lansing Community College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
A satisfactory introduction to a subject will combine just enough text to explain the basics and illustrations that give the reader a clear image of the topic under discussion. A great introduction does all of that but is also so vividly written and produced that the reader will want to learn more. Preeminent archaeologist Malek (Egyptian Art) presents a great basic text on ancient Egyptian art by keeping his very informative introduction to 20 pages and focusing on the 300 color photographs that illustrate the development of Egyptian style from Pre-Dynastic through Ptolemaic times. The elementary Egyptian canon (head in profile with a forward-facing eye, frontal shoulders, and profiled legs in a striding position) is first seen in artifacts from about 3000 B.C.E., but it continued to develop in very subtle ways. Malek does an exceptional job of showing both individual artistic style within the canon and the gradual change of the canon itself. W. Stevenson Smith (Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt), Cyril Aldred (Egyptian Art), and Gay Robins (The Art of Ancient Egypt) all wrote good introductions to the topic, and if you have one or more of them you don't really need this one. Egypt is, however, the best introduction to Egyptian art that this reviewer has encountered-and at this price, it's a steal.-Mary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
