Different Goals Entirely

Medieval art looks "wrong" to modern eyes — flat figures, gold backgrounds, stiff poses, no perspective. But medieval artists weren't trying to copy reality. They were building visual theology. A bigger figure wasn't closer to the viewer — it was more spiritually important.

This system is called hierarchical scaling, and it was a deliberate design choice. In a church full of illiterate worshippers, the art had to communicate instantly: Christ is largest because he matters most. The donor kneeling in the corner is smallest because he's least important spiritually.