Painters of Christian subjects in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance developed a complex system of geometry which they used to order the various elements in the image. They did this because they were convinced that the aesthetic dimension of their work resided in the structure of the work. More specifically, the artists of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance believed that the particular aesthetic experience which geometric compositional structure provides corresponded to Christian mystical experience. Thus a work of art that combined geometric structure, naturalistic style, and Christian imagery could provide an experience analogous to that of Christian revelation. This paper traces the development of this idea from its origin in the Old Testament tradition, its formalization in Greek thought and its full flowering in early Christian painting.

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