The Logic of Flatness

Egyptian artists didn't fail to discover perspective — they deliberately rejected it. Their system showed each body part from its most recognizable angle: the face in profile, the eye from the front, shoulders facing forward, legs in profile. This created maximum clarity, not maximum realism.

The goal was identification, not illusion. A figure needed every part clearly visible so the soul could recognize it — which is why no limb is ever hidden behind another.