The Art of Ancient Egypt

What happened

Over three thousand years, ancient Egyptian artists produced a remarkably stable, highly stylised art of painting, relief, and monumental sculpture. Figures followed strict conventions — heads in profile, torsos frontal — and the size of a figure showed its importance, with gods and pharaohs largest of all. Much of it was made for tombs and temples, focused on the afterlife.

Why it matters

Egyptian art set enduring conventions of representation and monumental scale, and its temples, tomb paintings, and colossal statues remain among the most recognisable images of the ancient world.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Ancient Egyptian Art · Reputable source