Akhenaton's chief contribution to art, however, was anything but
mechanical. Under his prodding, the artists at Akhetaton developed a
realism--and even a distortion--which contrasts with the conservative,
stylizing tendencies of earlier Egyptian art. The chief sculptor Bek
describes himself on a stele as one "whom his majesty himself taught."
Arthur Weigall suggests that the innovations which Akhenaton brought
into the art of his day were, in fact, a self-conscious return to
earlier art forms. Young Akhenaton, Weigall assumes, would have
discovered that the sun god Re-Harakhti was much more ancient than Amon
of Thebes, and that ancient art forms differed from those in use during
the Theban supremacy. In reverting to the religious views of the
Heliopolitan priesthood, Akhenaton would also have chosen to effect a
renaissance of earlier art forms.[56]
Others have speculated on the possibility of Minoan influence on
Akhenaton's art, noting that the Minoans adopted a naturalism which
parallels that of Amarna, although Knossus was sacked some time during
the reign of Amenhotep III. Barring the migration of Minoan artists to
Akhetaton (which is rather unlikely), it may be best to see in the
Amarna art forms a development based upon changes which were already
being felt in art circles in Egypt. John A. Wilson notes that the older
stylized art forms were on their way out as early as the reign of
Thutmose III, and that the earlier tradition ended by the time of
Hatshepsut.[57]
The naturalism of Akhenaton, however, goes far beyond his predecessors.
The Pharaoh is not depicted in the splendid isolation of a god-king, but
in the informal pose of a husband and father. Akhenaton habitually
appears in the company of his wife, Nofretete, and their daughters, of
whom ultimately there were six. A stele depicts Akhenaton kissing an
infant while a second child sits on the queen's knee. Another shows a
banquet scene with the king gnawing on a large piece of meat while his
wife is eating roast fowl with her hands.