for gradually foreign influences faded away and Egyptian
art became purely Egyptian and in time fiercely
nationalistic. The inspiration drawn from the ancient
Egyptian religion was replaced by that drawn from
Christianity, and Christian-Egyptian art came to be known
(and still is known) as Coptic Art.
Like their forefathers, Coptic artists were
preoccupied with the hereafter, and continued to use
symbolic themes. One of the favourite images was the
struggle between Good and Evil – or the ancient battle
between Horus and Set, portrayed in the light of the New
Faith.
Together with symbolism, Coptic art was
decorative and didactic. “More than anything else, it
reflected in its images the different beliefs, philosophical
theories and conceptions of the universe and its
Creater.”^18
elle
(Elle)
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