What European Art History Teaches Us About Power Distance
- adamraelson
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 13
Why do some cultures more naturally defer to formality and authority, while others lean into informality and flat structures? In part, this is in a culture’s power distance (the degree to which different social stratifications and hierarchy are accepted as normal).
While we often use cultural dimension frameworks to analyze power distance in the workplace, we can also find clues in less expected places, such as our observations within classical European art.
Let’s explore how European societies have visualized hierarchy and status through classical art and what this reveals about the enduring cultural values of different regions.
The Southern Hierarchical Lens: From Heaven to Earth
Southern European Catholic cultures, particularly in Italy and Spain, have long been associated with higher power distance. These societies historically accepted centralized authority, strong religious hierarchies, and clear social orders.
An example of this is expressed in the Italian Baroque movement. Consider Caravaggio’s “Madonna of the Rosary” (1607). Mary and Christ are elevated above the viewer, bathed in divine light. Saints, cardinals, and laypeople gather below them in postures of reverence. The composition makes the power structure literal; the divine and elite are placed physically and symbolically above the common people:
This verticality reflects the deference to both spiritual and institutional power in Catholic societies.
If we also take a look at El Greco’s painting “The Disrobing of Christ” (1579), Christ stands surrounded and even physically crowded by mortal men above him, yet through color, light, and calm posture, he becomes the elevated spiritual focal point to emphasize the power distance values where divine authority transcends earthly disorder and worldly ranks of soldiers, men, workers, and women:
Northern Realism: The Protestant Flattening of Hierarchy
In contrast, northern Protestant regions, such as Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and parts of Germany, leaned toward lower power distance, partly due to the Reformation’s challenge to papal authority and the bourgeoisie, as well as other factors (see our other article on the Scandinavian concept of Janteloven).
In this region, trending art movements took a different path. In Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s “Peasant Wedding” (1567), we see a joyful, chaotic scene of ordinary village folk feasting, dancing, and working. No saints, no kings, no divine rays. Just people. The focus is on everyday life, not exalted figures:
Or Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” (1658), which gives quiet dignity to a domestic worker. A female domestic worker was almost never portrayed in southern artistic traditions at that time where women were almost exclusively portrayed as the Madonna or part of courtly commissions. The Milkmaid’s world is small, but her presence is centered and humanized, reflecting a low power distance view where everyday life holds value.
These works reflect cultures where authority is more dispersed, and everyday people matter. This is a visual parallel to flatter social and workplace hierarchies that persist even today.
Art Mirrors Culture
These artistic trends aren’t accidental. As societies change, there are also artistic movements that push boundaries by rejecting societal norms too.
This holds implications for modern intercultural communication. For instance:
A southern European manager may be culturally used to more formality or deference to seniority.
A Dutch or Scandinavian colleague may subconsciously be more comfortable with equal input, directness, and informal interaction.
Neither is right or wrong but understanding these roots helps explain how and why we see leadership, structure, and respect differently.
Art tells us how societies see the world and their place in it. In Europe, the north-south cultural divide offers rich insight into differing attitudes portrayed in classical art toward hierarchy, status, and authority and the historical contexts taking place at the time like the Reformation.
By observing these visual masterpieces, we can also deepen our cultural intelligence and how we relate to one another in the global workplace today.
Want to Explore More Topics Together?
At CultureComms Consulting, we help organizations decode cultural differences through storytelling, workshops, and tailored training. Contact us to explore how art, language, and history shape the way we lead, collaborate, and connect across borders.
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