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:iconmerensheritra:

Artist's Comments

16 x 12"
Acrylic on Canvas
(Owing to scanner size limitations, half an inch is missing from the bottom and top--sorry!)

This was a commission for a friend of mine who's a fellow lover of all things ancient Egyptian. The portrait shows the family of Akhenaten, the Heretic Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty who attempted to introduce monotheism to the passionately polytheistic nation. His ideas lived only so long as he did, but the exceptional art created during his reign preserved the beauty of his wife Nefertiti and their six daughters.
When doing a portrait, I rely on what I know about the person(s) in question to guide the way. The famous bust of Nefertiti in Berlin shows her with a necklace, but at least one relief and a statue fragment show her with an off-the shoulder garment that I thought more flattering given her long neck and posture. Equally meticulous are the signs of her age; I wanted the viewer to remember that Nefertiti had born six daughters (perhaps more that didn't survive infancy)been a queen and a mother for at least half of her life.
As for said daughters, they are, from left to right: Neferneferuaten (fourth born), an understandably distressed Meritaten (first born), a dimpled Meketaten (second), Neferneferure (fifth), Ankhesenapaaten (third, and future wife of King Tutankhamun), and baby Sotepenre (sixth). Ankhes has always been my favorite of the girls, so she tends to have more attention lavished on her. Akhenaten, while not handsome, had features--a sensual mouth, heavy-lidded eyes, high cheekbones--that should have made him so, and for this reason I find his face especially compelling. His countenance plays nicely against the softer, more streamlined faces of his wife and daughters, who overlap in the painting much as they did in the ancient reliefs. The princesses were often portrayed in play, while their parents were shown kissing and embracing. In one relief, Nefertiti even sits in the Akhenaten's lap, with at least two daughters gathered into hers. Whatever the family member's individual fates, they seemed to be genuinely close-knit for the time they were together.

You can watch this painting take shape at my "Arden in Action--Works in Progress" page: [link]

Prints, mugs, and more are available at my Cafepress store! Visit Arden's Miscellany here [link]

Visit my homepage and online gallery! [link]

None of my images are to be used without express written permission. Woe to any who choose to steal, for so mighty is my art wrath, not even I know its bounds.

Comments


love 0 0 joy 2 2 wow 2 2 mad 0 0 sad 0 0 fear 0 0 neutral 0 0
:iconironicbozubutter:
This is fantastic. You are very talented.
:iconifeyescouldtalk:
amazing..love it.

--
and he's gone forever
and im glad
he never loved me anyhow
or so i tell myself
she whispers in my ear
let go.
:iconringmybellclub:
An amazing painting :clap:. You'd be a perfect cnadidate for our club. Would you be interested in joining :D ?

--
Unleash The True You-JOIN ~ringmybellclub TODAY
:iconmerensheritra:
Yes, I would. Thank you!:)

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Arden Ellen Nixon
Home Page: [link]
:iconmerensheritra:
Thank you for your compliments and favorite!

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Arden Ellen Nixon
Home Page: [link]
:iconmerensheritra:
Thank you. I'll be sorry to send it to its owner, but in remaining days before the final check arrives, it will enjoy a prominent place on the wall:)

--
Arden Ellen Nixon
Home Page: [link]
:iconringmybellclub:
Splendid :D All you have to do is just send a note to the club and watch it, and that's it :love:

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Unleash The True You-JOIN ~ringmybellclub TODAY
:iconipaintthemoon:
Arden, I love it. My favorite is the little on in the middle sucking her thumb. She has an intense gaze. The depth is amazing in the whole piece, especially in the Pharaoh's headdress.

--
:butterflytwo:'Art, its what I do.':butterflytwo:
My website: [link]
:iconmerensheritra:
Thank you, Nikka! I'm probably proudest of her and of baby Sotepenre chewing on her necklace. BTW, love the "Hatchery" piece on your homepage!:)

--
Arden Ellen Nixon
Home Page: [link]
:iconipaintthemoon:
Your welcome. And Thanks. :)

--
:butterflytwo:'Art, its what I do.':butterflytwo:
My website: [link]

Details

February 6
2.1 MB
286 KB
1024×700

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