Bust of Nefertiti : Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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As I entered the gallery where the Bust of Queen Nefertiti was displayed, my attention came to a complete focous on the work. The lifelike beauty radiating from this work of art has the ability to capture all attention in the room. I could only imagine that Queen Nefertiti had the same capability herself. The formal elements that contributed to the intensity of the art were color, shape, and pattern.

The bust features an array of colors covering the entire surface of the figure. A soft, brown color is used for the face and neck of the bust. This realistic color compliments the smooth surface, allowing it to appear to have skin. The lips are painted with a calm, red color giving her mouth a soft look to it as well. Her eyebrows and eyes are outlined with black, with the right eye missing paint in the center. The artist uses color to give Nefertiti lifelike quality from a bust of limestone and plaster.

While the color of the skin is common, the color of the hair is not. The hair is painted with a rich blue color giving the bust a sense of power and beauty. This sense of power is reinforced with painted jewelery in the hair and around the neck. Shades of blue, green, red, and gold are all found within the jewelery. The majestic beauty of the bust is enhanced by the colors of which it is painted.

Nefertiti's beauty may not have been conveyed as well if the bust was not representational of a real person. The shape overall and within the work is both organic and geometric. The face, neck, and sholders of the bust are rounded and true to the human form. This allows the bust to be easily recognizable as a person.