You’ll need to find an extended explanation on your own but in essence - religion. The focus is on symbolism, and not on realism as it diverts attention and doesn’t help you describe scenes from the bible.
I remember seeing some examples of paintings made by the same artists for secular and religious purposes, and the secular ones were realistic. But it’s been quite a few years ago and the only thing I remember is that they might have been Italian painters working in the Eastern Roman empire that were recognised due to the messed up alphabet.
You’ll need to find an extended explanation on your own but in essence - religion. The focus is on symbolism, and not on realism as it diverts attention and doesn’t help you describe scenes from the bible.
I remember seeing some examples of paintings made by the same artists for secular and religious purposes, and the secular ones were realistic. But it’s been quite a few years ago and the only thing I remember is that they might have been Italian painters working in the Eastern Roman empire that were recognised due to the messed up alphabet.