How did Akhenaten change Egyptian art during the Amarna period?

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Sculpted head of Akhenaten, ancient Egyptian pharaoh, with elongated facial features and a tall, ornate headdress, displayed at the Alexandria National Museum. — Akhenaten Akhenaten, sculpture in the Alexandria National Museum, Egypt.

During the Amarna period, Akhenaten revolutionized ancient Egyptian art to reflect his new religion centered on the Aton. This Amarna style introduced several radical departures from traditional conventions:

Human Representation: Figures were depicted with exaggerated features, including hanging jaws, pronounced facial folds, slitted eyes, thin necks, sloped shoulders, heavy paunches, and large hips. Princesses were often shown with elongated skulls.
Intimacy: The royal family was portrayed in unprecedented, informal, and affectionate scenes, such as kissing or dandling their children on their laps.
Naturalism: Artists began incorporating realistic details, such as distinguishing between left and right feet, showing earplug holes, and depicting neck wrinkles.
Composition: Large-scale wall reliefs expanded to include complex architectural depictions, religious ceremonies, and scenes of common citizens, soldiers, and the natural landscape.
Divine Imagery: Unlike traditional deities, the Aton was represented as a sun disk with rays ending in tiny hands, rather than in human or animal form.

While early works were often extreme, the style evolved toward a more naturalistic portrayal in later years at Tell el-Amarna.1