История письма и чтения. Асафова Г.К. - 107 стр.

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Because of their pictorial form, hieroglyphs were difficult to write and were

used only for monument inscriptions. They were usually supplemented in the

writing of a people by other, more convenient scripts. Among living writing

systems, hieroglyphic scripts are no longer used.

RELATIONSHIP OF WRITING AND ART

The form of these hieroglyphs of the archaic period (the 1st to 2nd dynasty)

corresponds exactly to the art style of this age. Although definite traditions or

conventions were quickly formed with respect to the choice of perspective–e.g., a

hand was depicted only as a palm, an eye or a mouth inscribed only in front view–

the proportions remained flexible. The prerequisite of every writing system is a

basic standardization, but such a standardization is not equivalent to a canon (an

established body of rules and principles) in the degree of stylistic conformity that it

requires. A recognized canon of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing arose in the 3rd

dynasty and was maintained until the end of the use of the script.

In that hieroglyphic signs represented pictures of living beings or inanimate

objects, they retained a close connection to the fine arts. The same models formed

the basis of both writing and art, and the style of the writing symbols usually

changed with the art style. This correspondence occurred above all because the

same craftsmen painted or incised both the writing symbols and the pictures.

Deviations from the fine arts occurred when the writing, which was more closely

bound to convention, retained patterns that the fine arts had eliminated. The face in

front view is an example of this. This representation, apart from very special

instances, was eventually rejected as an artistic form, the human face being shown

only in profile. The front view of the face was, however, retained as a hieroglyph

from the archaic period to the end of the use of hieroglyphic writing. Similar cases

involve the depiction of various tools and implements. Although the objects

themselves fell out of use in the course of history–e.g., clubs used as weapons–

their representations, mainly misunderstood, were preserved in the hieroglyphic