Art is an essential aspect of any civilisation. Once the basic human needs have been taken care of such as food, shelter, some form of community law, and a religious belief, cultures begin producing artwork, and often all of these developments occur more or less simultaneously. This process began in the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 - c. 3150 BCE) through images of animals, human beings, and supernatural figures inscribed on rock walls. These early images were crude in comparison to later developments but still express an important value of Egyptian cultural consciousness: balance.

Egyptian Painting and Tomb Walls

In Ancient Egypt the tomb walls of the rich and powerful were often filled with paintings. These paintings were there to help the person in the afterlife. They often depicted the person buried passing into the afterlife. They would show scenes of this person happy in the afterlife

Interesting Facts about Ancient Egyptian Art

• They mostly used the colors blue, black, red, green, and gold in their paintings.
• A lot of Egyptian art depicted the pharaohs. This was often in a religious sense as the pharaohs were considered gods.
• Many of the paintings of Ancient Egypt survived for so many thousands of years because of the extremely dry climate of the area.
• Small carved models were sometimes included inside tombs. These included slaves, animals, boats, and buildings that the person may need in the afterlife.
• A majority of the art hidden in tombs was stolen by thieves over thousands of years.