Soul Language
If you've even remotely studied the chakras or other metaphysical things, you've probably noticed the symbols that accompany them. Symbolism is the language of the soul. In the Middle Ages, art was not, for the most part, about technique. Seriously, if you've never studied art from that time period, it's sub-par compared to the present day, much less the Renaissance. The emphasis, instead, went into the myth and symbolism. Mary usually wears blue, sometimes red, depending on the storyline. The dove represents the Holy Spirit. The representation of Christ has its start in Appolonic representation, think "golden boy." (Apollo was a Greek god associated with the sun, among other things. He was usually depicted with sun rays emanating from his head, which became the halo later with Christ.) It was probably the Surrealists though that really learned to capitalize on a semiotic subconscious framework within their art. Everyone argues over whether something shou...