Academic literature on the topic 'Egyptian Revival Decoration and ornament'

Background. The article deals with the basic conceptual foundations of the "Ukrainian style" in the art of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, primarily in the field of searching for actual ways of adaptation and creative rethinking of Ukrainian folk ornament motifs. A special role in this process was played by the use of graphics, whose artistic language has evolved rapidly under the influence of contemporary European styles. However, in the graphic works of Ukrainian artists, the appeal to folk ornamentation was one of several ways of self-identification with the national artistic tradition, so the practice of integrating those ornamental motifs into the book and magazine illustration was a significant component of the creative work of many artists during that period. Objectives. This paper aims at defining the role and importance of Ukrainian folk ornament in the modern (art nouveau) graphic, based on consideration of theoretical and applied aspects of the use of ornamental motifs, their creative comprehension by graphic artists of different regions of Ukraine. Methods. In this article we rely on art historian methods and general scientific methods, such as analysis and synthesis, analogy and system analysis to outline the features of several variants of the "Ukrainian style", representing different regional differences. Comparative analysis, methods of systematization and typology were used to reveal the peculiarities of the transformation of ornamental motifs under the influence of the individual manner of each artist and to present the theoretical background of the folk ornament usage, including concepts of the development of "Ukrainian style" in the visual and decorative arts. Results. This article outlines several concepts of the use of Ukrainian folk ornament motives, elaborated by Ukrainian artists in the beginning of 20th century, period, which chronologically corresponds with the time of the paneuropean expansion of the art nouveau style. We can name an independent research of S. Vasylkivskyy, that allowed him to understand the artistic language of the Ukrainian ornament of different historical periods, and allowed the development of complex projects of interior design for new buildings. His projects demonstrate a harmonious synthesis of the traditions of folk art of the Dnieper Ukraine and Slobozhanshchyna (including specimens of paintings, carpets, ceramic tiles). Instead, V. Krychevs’kyy more often appealed to the ornamentation of Ukrainian weaving, while the main sources of decorative motifs for him were the ancient manuscripts, engravings and applied art of the Hetmanate. O. Slastion also addressed the study of the semantics of ornaments and their function in the system of folk art and culture in general. At first, he applied his own ideas in the projects of decoration of new buildings, constructed at the end of the XIX century in Poltava region, and later focused on the problem of updating the language of Ukrainian graphic art. The genre differentiation of graphic arts actually accelerated the separation of the Ukrainian voice from the general eclectic Russian-imperial culture. The area through which this process could gain more momentum was an art postcard, which at that time became one of the catalysts for the formation of new communication standards in cities and towns. Popular authors in this specialization were A. Zhdakha, O. Slastion, S. Vasylkivskyy, who gave impetus to the main line of development of Ukrainian graphic design of "small forms" at an early stage of its formation. It is interesting to compare different author's approaches to the practice of incorporation and stylizing ornamental motifs – for example, M. Sosenko uses a much more extensive range of primary sources, among which not only is available local material (Ukrainian Carpathians' applied art, handwriting book of the 16th–17th centuries), but also folk art crafts of the Dnieper Ukraine and Slobozhanshchyna and at the same time he modernizes them under the influence of the secessionist style. During the early stages of the art nouveau development in Halychyna (1897–1907), which researchers call ornamental, book and magazine graphics, architecture, and fine arts became the areas where new trends emerged very fast. This process was facilitated by the similarity of artistic language in the works of graphics, monumental and decorative arts, in particular the use of sections of local color, subordinated to a clear linear pattern, which is perceived as a kind of outline for the main elements of the image. The ornamental motifs in the art of secession were interpreted as peculiar symbols – in the Ukrainian version of this style the ornamentation of folk art, especially the local Hutsul tradition, becomes especially important. Conclusions. An important part of the strategy of national art revival of the late 19th – early 20th centuries was the introduction of ethnographic motifs to contemporary works of art. Architecture and graphics have undeniable advantages over other art genres in the sense of rapidly spreading the language of the new Ukrainian style to the widest audience possible. A special place was given to the printed postcards, the authors of which – both famous and anonymous artists, addressed primarily ethnographic topics. It is also important that, regardless of the specifics of regional variants of art nouveau, the practice of introducing ornamental motifs, plots and the images of Ukrainian folk art, re-imagined in more modern way, was a significant factor in asserting national identity, and was aimed at developing a universal artistic language.

In Byzantine painting, starting from the XIII and particularly during the XIV century, there was a visible return to models from the period of Antiquity. The influences of ancient, ostensibly, Hellenistic heritage were reflected in the shapes, in the content of the compositions, as well as in the drawing, modellation and colours. In the art that came into being in the course of the XIII century, in the endowments of the Serbian donors numerous elements emerged that had existed in ancient art. In the frescoes in the Church of the Mother of God in Studenica, the endowment of Stefan Nemanja and his sons, we see personifications, symbols, the introduction of details, and space acquiring depth, features that were later to come to full expression, especially from the middle of the XIII century. The few preserved frescoes dating from the XIII century in the Church of the Resurrection in the Zica monastery, the endowment of Stefan the First Crowned, his son Radoslav and his brother Sava, are an iconographic continuation of the trends in the art one encounters in Studenica. The frescoes in the Church of Christ's Ascension in Mileseva, the endowment of King Vladislav, with their subtly fashioned figures and carefully modelled faces, as well as refined colouring, signal a return to the Hellenistic models. The painting in the Church of Dormition of the Virgin in the Moraca monastery, the endowment of Prince Stefan, nephew of king Stefan, with its well-proportioned, firmly modelled figures, landscapes and architecture deepening the space, reminds one of the Sopocani frescoes. In the fresco painting of the Holy Apostles in Pec, the endowment of Archbishop Sava which owed its outcome to the efforts of Archbishop Arsenije I, the images are very vivid, and the painted architecture is depicted in an abbreviated form, using different kinds of perspective. The painting in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Sopocani, the endowment of king Uros I, represents an ensemble of new artistic trends that appeared during the first half of the XIII century. Its spacious and monumental compositions present solutions that give the figures a quality of flexibility and breadth to their movements, while their faces resemble those of Antiquity. The space is indicated by architecture painted in an abbreviated manner, the iconostasis and icons are framed in an ornament of stucco bearing antique motifs, some scenes contain personifications, while the rich and harmonious colours and gold in the background emphasise the Hellenistic spirit. The frescoes in the Church of the Annunciation in the Gradac monastery, the endowment of Queen Jelena followed the trends in painting from Sopocani. The figures in the narthex of the Church of St. George in Djurdjevi Stupovi and in the parekklesion of the entrance tower, the endowment of King Dragutin, were painted in a rather similar fashion. The decoration of St. Ahilije in Arilje, the endowment of King Dragutin, consists of monumental figures of ancient beauty, richly painted architecture in the background, and greater depth painted in different forms of perspective and scenes containing details from everyday life. During the XIII century, the proportions of the compositions became larger, the number of participants in them increased, various episodes were added to the existing scenes, and the space was defined by a larger number of plans and buildings of ancient forms. At the same time, the painted architecture was presented in the perspective of different projections, deepening the space when necessary and highlighting the subject matter. The landscape is presented in the background, keeping to the rhythm of the scene or partitioning the episodes within the composition, while depicting vegetation and animals that resemble the mosaic flooring of ancient times. Special attention was paid to appearance and workmanship, to the modeling of the faces and human figures that acquired the proportions and harmony of Antiquity. Characters with lively movements were more numerous and were located more freely in the space. Compositions were more numerous, enriched with details from everyday life, while into the established scenes as regards Christian iconography were included personifications, symbolic and allegorical figures. The influences of Antiquity were also reflected in the precise drawing, plastic modeling and rich, refined colours. During the XIII century, the revival of models from Antiquity evolved gradually in the painting of the endowments belonging to the Serbian ktetors, most of whom were members of the Nemanjic ruling house. First of all, single elements appeared that were related to the proportions of the compositions and the images, personifications, symbolic presentations, the temperate voluminousity of the figures, refined colours all of which heralded further trends in painting. In addition, the painted architecture, of Hellenistic forms, gained an increasing role in the definition of space. The painting in Sopocani, with its monumental dimensions, its harmony of ancient proportions, precise drawing and modeling, wealth of colours and splendour of gold, reached an outstanding level in the Byzantine painting of that epoch. The decoration of the monuments that were built later, up to the end of the XIII century, mirrored the achievements of the Sopocani painting and continued to develop by including elements from the Antiquity. Thus, at the beginning of the XIV century, the emulation of models from the Antiquity came to full expression in the monumental endowments of King Milutin.

The Late Bronze Age in Western Asia and Egypt witnessed an explosion in the production of so-called 'vitreous materials', in particular the earliest glass. From its outset, this material appeared in an enormous variety of colours and colour combinations, the manufacture of which demanded a high degree of technological know-how. The unique properties of glass also rapidly came to the fore, most notably the potential of glass to be worked while hot. Archaeometric research into early Egyptian glass has tended to focus on chemical and isotopic analysis as a means to assign provenance to its raw ingredients. To this end, the use of a technique new to archaeology, ToF-SIMS, is developed here in order to investigate the origin of the colorant opacifiers used in glass production. But questions about manufacturing technology and stages of production are also vital to an understanding of the role and perception of glass, and the aforementioned technique is complemented by electron microprobe analysis, revealing a surprising complexity of production, primarily related to coloration. Furthermore, it has been argued that the terms used to refer to glass in epigraphic sources indicate that it was primarily produced in order to imitate, or substitute for, precious stones of value in Late Bronze Age Egypt and Mesopotamia (primarily lapis lazuli, carnelian and turquoise). Recent research into the archaeological and ethnographic understanding of colour naming and classification is applied to these sources along with an investigation of the material properties of glass itself. It is suggested that, far from being an imitation, the artificiality of glass - as a man-made material - was deliberately, sometimes spectacularly, proclaimed. Central to this is the use of colour, in particular in terms of transformation, and the aforementioned complexity of production. It is argued that only through combining the numerous approaches to the evidence taken here - scientific, linguistic-historical, and archaeological - can the perception of glass, and the motivations behind its production, be determined.