Ancient Egyptian art was created for religious and funerary purposes, intended to last for eternity.

It is characterized by a highly conservative and consistent style that endured for nearly 3,000 years.

Egyptian painting used a 'composite' view, showing a figure's head in profile but the eye and torso from the front.

A formal 'canon of proportions' dictated the precise measurements for depicting the human form, creating a sense of order and stability.

Architecture was dominated by monumental structures built of stone, such as temples and pyramids.

Temples were designed as the homes of the gods, while pyramids and rock-cut tombs were built as eternal resting places for pharaohs.

Sculptures of pharaohs were typically rigid, formal, and idealized to convey their divine and eternal nature.

The brief 'Amarna period' under the pharaoh Akhenaten saw a revolutionary shift to a more naturalistic and intimate style of art.

Hieroglyphic writing was often intricately integrated into artistic and architectural compositions.

The primary function of Egyptian art was not aesthetic beauty but to ensure the successful passage of the deceased into the afterlife and to honor the gods.