The Egyptian culture consistently maintained a powerful belief in the afterlife. As a result, tombs were lavished with clothing, furniture, and paintings to nourish the Ka or soul. Most importantly, statues were erected should anything happen to the body in which the soul must inhabit. The physical representation of these statues was not nearly as important as the symbolic meaning of them. Although the Greek art culture was partially influenced by Egyptian drawings and sculptures, individual Greek artists began to break away from the limitations of Ancient Egypt and develop their own figural compositions and techniques as they progressed forward into history. By the Late Classical period, the Greeks were capturing fully-developed, accurate, and proportional images that were stunningly realistic, resulting from personal decisions. Consequently, the difference in artwork produced by both civilizations can be traced back to and explained by their cultural belief disparities.
[...] While her body parts are identifiable, they are not developed to the extent Greek Late Classical and Hellenistic statues are. There are no indications of the physiological structure of the subject that makes the Greek statues come to life. Instead, chunks of stone are chipped away and later smoothed to create the idea of the being rather than the actuality of her presence. For instance, the lion head is described through the undulating character of the stone and the suggestion of ears atop her head. [...]
[...] Egyptian versus Greek Sculpture The Egyptian culture consistently maintained a powerful belief in the afterlife. As a result, tombs were lavished with clothing, furniture, and paintings to nourish the Ka or soul. Most importantly, statues were erected should anything happen to the body in which the soul must inhabit. The physical representation of these statues was not nearly as important as the symbolic meaning of them. Although the Greek art culture was partially influenced by Egyptian drawings and sculptures, individual Greek artists began to break away from the limitations of Ancient Egypt and develop their own figural compositions and techniques as they progressed forward into history. [...]
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