Why are humans depicted in paintings from ancient civilizations like different than now? Weren’t there artists who could paint realistic paintings?

Question

Weren’t there artists at that time who could draw humans for what they actually looked like. For instance, look at the paintings of kings from the 17th Century or before.

In: Other

Answer 1

Depending on the era, it’s intentional. In the medieval period, the influence of Christian religion affected the way artists painted. The physical body was sinful, so artists did not 1) study anatomy nor 2) make any effort to paint realistic human figures. That’s why you see highly realistic depictions before and after, but then you have a block of time when skilled artists painted like kindergartners.