These are the pyramid of Khufu (which was the largest); the pyramid of his son, Khafre; and the pyramid of Khafre's son, Menkaure. Sculpture during this period was equally impressive. The more important the person, the more impressive the sculpture. The statue of Khafre depicts this convention (Adams, p. 50-51).
Sculptures and paintings in the Middle Kingdom Period are more naturalistic and delicate than those of the Old Kingdom Period. The sculptured forms were more rounded and the faces showed more expression. For example, the portrait of Sesostris III who referred to himself as the shepherd of his people. His portrait appeared to show the concern in his face with worry lines and a slight frown on his forehead. Paintings during the period showed birds and fish appearing to fly and swim which conveyed a sense of volume (Adams p.55, p. 59).
The art of the New Kingdom (1570-1342 B.C.) shows a classic Egyptian style of the Middle Kingdom, a combination of the monumental forms of the Old Kingdom, and the drive and inspiration of the Middle Kingdom. The paintings of this period are noted for boldness of design and controlled vitality. In sculpture, the emphasis is on bulk, solidity, and impersonality (http://infoplease.lycos.com/ce6/ent/A0857917.html).
During the Amarna Period (1349-1336 B.C.), the artistic style was greatly influenced by Akhenaten IV, the Eighteenth Dynasty king, who challenged the entrenched religious cults adopting a new and unpopular religious system that was relatively monotheistic (Adams, p.60). The best-known sculpture from the Amarna period is the naturalistic painted limestone bust of Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti. The small sculpture of Akhenaten and Nefertiti playing with their daughters illustrates stylistic, iconographic, and a new humanity in the Amarna style. At the end of the Amarnaian period, Egypt reverted to its previous beliefs and revised traditional artistic style (Adams p.
