Early European and Colonial American Art, 200–1750 CE

There is no clear source of light, leading to a flattening of the composition.

It is less focused on creating spatial depth and more about uniform illumination.

The lighting is softer, with gentle transitions that downplay narrative elements.

It is more dramatic, using sharp contrasts to create depth and focus on the narrative.

The Maestà by Duccio di Buoninsegna.

Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer.

The School of Athens by Raphael.

The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck.

Uses aerial perspective instead of relying solely upon linear techniques associated with particularly high Renaissance period works.

Displays collective experience rather than focusing on an individual noble patron typically found during Italian High Renaissance periods styles.

More emphasis on landscape interplay with human activity than individual characteristics or status promotion.

Preference for depicting ordinary daily activities opposed to classical allegorical subject matter often explored by contemporaries such as Florentine artists during the same era.

Royal family portraits

Mythological battles

Daily market life

Biblical stories

A landscape background

Use of bright colors

A crown or scepter

The presence of domestic animals

To serve primarily as grand displays of personal piety before guests.

To offer moral instruction through allegorical images depicting heaven and hell.

For entertainment purposes due to their highly detailed narrative scenes.

As tools for private meditation on one's own morality.

To provide ventilation during services.

To enable private prayer sessions through isolation from the nave.

To demonstrate wealth and power of the church alone.

To teach biblical stories through imagery to an illiterate population.

Chartres Cathedral Stained Glass

Merode Altarpiece (Central Panel)

Bayeux Tapestry

Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Allegory Of Good And Bad Government”

The sculpture relies heavily on frontal viewing just like traditional Classical sculptures.

Saint Teresa's figure adheres strictly to Classical proportions without any sense of movement or passion.

It incorporates theatricality and emotion over the restrained idealism prevalent in classicism.

It aligns with classical techniques through idealized forms and symmetrical balance.

Greater use of linear perspective in landscapes.

More frequent inclusion of non-religious subject matter.

Increased emphasis on domestic interiors and portraits.

A stronger focus on Greco-Roman mythology.