Art History Research Paper Outline

The written instructions were supposed to guide the dead on how to overcome afterlife challenges. This was supposed to happen by giving them hope to believe in several mythical creatures to provide them passwords that will allow them to enter into the underworld stages. Additionally, these spells and magic formulas were expected to serve as a guide to expectation at every stage of afterlife. 1 The book became popular with time, and by 1600BCE, the spells had divided into chap1ters and was gaining popularity. The scribes were known to be experts on this and would always be consulted to make books for families and individuals. The more money you have, the more pages and pictures you would get. Spell 125 was a popularly known spell book to which it described the judging of the heart of the death by god Osiris one of the best images in Egypt.

Kha was a royal architect who was associated with the affluent families. Kha and his wife had so many material objects that were made of precious metals as depicted in the pictures. All these materials were supposed to be presented to Osiris in preparation for traveling to the underworld. " It appears that the artist was trying to create an illusion of canvas inside the piece of papyrus he/she was us2ing. 3 The color has been used to give the paintings a specific taste. The black color in Khan and in his wife’s hair has been used to represent their journey towards the underworld. Osiris has often been referred to the black one, also known as the king of the underworld.

We can see that Osiris face is painted green. For instance, Osiris stands to face strictly to the front. We can see from the painting the hands of Kha and Merit have been raised in front of Osiris. Osiris is seated like a king waiting to give out judgment. Perhaps the most important formal element the artist decided to use is Illusionism. Osiris and the afterlife are not physical things one can observe. The Egyptians believed that whatever you were buried with you would take with you to the afterlife. Hence showing how Kha and Merit were not your ordinary John Doe's 3 In case one is still hesitant to believe that Kha and Merit were not part of the elite, observe the table in front of Kha.

That table has offerings for Osiris. To take offerings with you, you needed to be buried with them. As described, Kha was a royal architect who worked with almost four reigns in Egypt. Iconology/Synthesis The presence of formal details and specific items inside the painting help to reiterate that the Egyptians believed immortality could be achieved by traveling through the underworld and facing Osiris. The Egyptians believed the dead will rise with Osiris and live-forever. This belief was however conditional as the people to resurrect were those who underwent the right rituals and were confirmed by god Osiris for immortal life. Osiris became famous as every Egyptian believed that he was the king of the underworld. He was associated with the New Year and the cycles of nature.