Rules for Eternity

Egyptian art wasn't meant to be beautiful — it was meant to be functional. A painted tomb ensured the dead person's soul could recognize their body and their possessions in the afterlife. A statue of a pharaoh maintained his cosmic authority beyond death. Art was technology for surviving eternity.

Egyptian artists followed a strict canon of proportions — the standing human figure was divided into exactly eighteen grid squares from foot to hairline. This system produced the characteristic Egyptian look: frontal shoulders, profile head, and legs shown walking.