Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization of Ancient Egypt in the lower Nile Valley from about 1000 BC to 100 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic. Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus there is an emphasis on life after death and the preservation of knowledge of the past.

In a more narrow sense, Ancient Egyptian art refers to the canonical 2nd and 3rd Dynasty art developed in Egypt from 3000 BC and used until the 2nd century. Most elements of Egyptian art remained remarkably stable over that 3,000 year period with relatively little outside influence. The quality of observation and execution started at a high level and remained near that level throughout the period. Portraiture in Ancient Egypt, above all of royalty, was highly developed, and represented a complicated mixture of realistic depiction of individuals and stylization.

Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbolism, ranging from the pharaoh's regalia (symbolizing his power to maintain order) to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, is omnipresent in Egyptian art. Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art. Colours were more expressive rather than natural: red skin implied hard working tanned youth, whereas yellow skin was used for women or middle-aged men who worked indoors; blue or gold indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance and association with precious materials; the use of black for royal figures expressed the fertility of the Nile from which Egypt was born. Stereotypes were employed to indicate the geographical origins of foreigners.

The Size the people are drawn indicates often relative importance in the social order. The king, or pharaoh, is usually the largest figure depicted to symbolize the ruler’s superhuman powers. Figures of high officials or tomb owner are usually smaller, and in smallest scale are shown servants and entertainers, animals, trees, and architectural details.

Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature, and a high proportion of surviving works were intended to provide solace and utility to the deceased in the afterlife. Artists endeavored to preserve everything from the present as clearly and permanently as possible. Ancient Egyptian art was created using media ranging from papyrus drawings to pictographs (hieroglyphics) and include funerary sculpture carved in relief and in the round from sandstone, quartz diorite and granite. Ancient Egyptian art displays an extraordinarily vivid representation of the Ancient Egyptian's socioeconomic status and belief systems. Egyptian art in all forms obeyed one law:
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