Why Medieval Figures Look 'Badly Drawn': The Logic of Hierarchical Perspective
In Beaux Arts magazine, Malika Bauwens discusses how the seemingly crude figures in medieval art stem from a technique known as 'hierarchical perspective,' where the size of figures denotes their symbolic significance. For example, in a Romanesque tympanum, Christ in Majesty occupies the central position, surrounded by smaller apostles and diminutive damned souls at the periphery. This concept is also evident in the Codex Manesse (c. 1305) and Byzantine illuminated Gospels. According to art historian Denis Favennec, multiple viewpoints can coexist without unsettling viewers. Linear perspective was developed in 15th-century Florence by Brunelleschi, while Daniel Sofron traces its origins back to ancient Egypt, where pharaohs are illustrated larger than their slaves.
Key facts
- Medieval figures appear disproportionate due to 'hierarchical perspective'.
- Size in medieval art indicates symbolic importance, not spatial accuracy.
- Christ in Majesty is depicted larger than apostles and the damned in tympanums.
- The Codex Manesse (c. 1305) shows lords disproportionately large above vassals.
- Byzantine art features the Christ Pantocrator dominating compositions.
- Medieval perspective is based on the central sacred figure's viewpoint, not the viewer's.
- Diverging lines in medieval art indicate lack of linear perspective, which was developed later by Brunelleschi in 15th-century Florence.
- Giotto made early attempts at credible depth, and Paolo Uccello and Renaissance painters systematized the single vanishing point.
- Daniel Sofron's 2015 article in Anastasis traces hierarchical perspective back to ancient Egypt.
- The system was used in Byzantine, pre-Romanesque, and Romanesque art across Europe.
Entities
Artists
- Giotto
- Paolo Uccello
- Brunelleschi
- Denis Favennec
- Daniel Sofron
- Malika Bauwens
Institutions
- Beaux Arts
- Anastasis: Research in Medieval Culture and Art
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Egypt
- Luxor