An Examination of Art Historical Method and Theory. A Case Study
In: Methodik und Didaktik in der ÄgyptologiePurchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
This essay debates the methods available to the art historian to decipher images. Using the painting in the tomb chapel of Menna (TT 69), methods of critical analysis will be explored as well as their potentials and problems. These methods include stylistic and visual analysis, iconography and semiotics, the aesthetics of reception, archaeometry, and the interaction between the ‘functioning image’ and sacred space. The aim of this essay is to understand the many ways in which the ancient Egyptian image ‘speaks’ about the ancient aesthetic and cultural world that was encapsulated in a tomb.