Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Egyptian Revival in Hollywood

The Eloquent Peasant

An excellent and fascinating essay by Margaret Maitland about the Hollywood revival of ancient Egypt, with some good photos. I enjoyed this considerably. Here's her introduction:

As an Egyptologist, I understand from first-hand experience how captivating Egyptian culture can be, and I find it interesting to contemplate the ways in which Egyptomania seized upon the minds and imaginations of people in the 19th and early 20th centuries and manifested itself in art, architecture, and advertising ranging from the absurd to the sublime. It spread throughout the Western world and beyond, from Europe and North America to Russia and South Africa. There are certainly numerous examples of the craze in London (see my Egyptological map of the city), but some other interesting examples have been featured on the internet lately.

See the above for the full story.

No comments: