You are here: From our green campus to our creative community, Pratt is the place to be your very best.

HAD-615P "Hemutyu" of "Hemut": The Makers of Material?visual Culture of Ancient Egypt

3 Credits

Hemutyu are the people employed in hemut, an ancient Egyptian word that has been translated typically as "art" in some contexts and "craft" in others. What happens to our understanding of the history of ancient Egyptian art and design if we view it from the makers, architects, artists and designers? How does our understanding of the goals of ancient Egyptian material and visual culture change when we consider it as an ancient African culture rather than as the foundation of the European, "Western" art historical tradition? We will consider the role of makes, architects, artists, and designers, the structure of their labor practice, and the artistic and design process and deconstruct the idea of "aesthetic value" in he context of ancient Egypt.