20 november 2024 | Visual narrativity and pictorial storytelling in the reliefs and wall paintings of ancient Egypt

Images have always impressed their audience with their ability to mirror and perpetuate the action-filled world. But how can static, two-dimensional reliefs and wall paintings create such impressions? Dr. Frederik Rogner explores this in his research on ‘visual narrativity’ and ‘pictorial storytelling.’ He examines how ancient Egyptian artists conveyed stories through images, as well as the broader question of how they managed to create the impression of a lively, dynamic world using the tools provided by their culture’s pictorial tradition.Frederik’s primary focus is on the richly decorated chapels of elite tombs from the New Kingdom (ca. 1550 – 1080 BC). However, he also analyzes the decorative programs of contemporary temples and royal tombs. Through this comparative approach, he identifies particular communicative strategies that depended on the images’ function and their intended audience.

After introducing some of the artistic techniques used by ancient Egyptian artists to create effects of ‘liveliness’ and ‘animation’, Frederik will shift to discussing the storytelling strategies they developed through images – approaches that can also be observed in the art of other times and cultures.