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

A picture gives information. The information an artist from a long time ago wanted to transmit might be very different from what we want to transmit now. For example, if you’re using a picture to tell a story (helpful if most people can’t read), and you only have one surface because the equivalent of paper is rare, you’re going to put most of your time and skill into getting the story told in a fixed space.