The classical tradition of modeling using light and shadow to give volume to figures was not abandoned completely . Such modeling was used to suggest facial features and drapery folds. In depicting groups of figures, depth is shown by overlapping and placing figures higher up on the same plane . The use of gold backgrounds in mosaics, manuscript illustrations, enamels, and panel painting sets the figures apart from real time and real space. There is little interest in natural setting.
Architectural details are decorative and usually smaller in scale than the human figures.
Figures and indications of setting are defined by outlines, not by atmosphere or soft shadows. Clarity is the rule, not only in describing shapes but also in arranging figures in balanced compositions so that the actions of the narrative are clear. The scale and placement of figures show either their ranking in the Byzantine court or their relative importance in the hierarchy developed for the mosaics and frescoes of Byzantine churches . In religious art figures higher up and closer to the sanctuary are more important. The image of Christ in the central dome is the largest and most important of all.