The flat, gold background contrasts other concurrent secular paintings located on Earth, which immediately shows viewers that their humanity limits them from accessing Mary and Jesus. Furthermore, the portrait 's background highlights that Mary 's semi-divine status puts her in a liminal space. On one hand, Mary is a human just like the viewer; but, on the other hand, her purity and allegorical status make her un-relatable. Furthermore, Mary 's status is superior to the viewer 's. The ambiguous tone of Mary 's liminal space emphasizes that although mortals will be able to recognize Mary and Jesus’s superior status, they cannot understand the complete nature of the divine. Furthermore, the sense of liminality in the painting creates a sense of doubt that encourages the viewer to trust God and submit to his faithful guidance. In addition, the contrast between the gold, flat Byzantine background and life-like qualities of Mary and Jesus further emphasize the figures '
The flat, gold background contrasts other concurrent secular paintings located on Earth, which immediately shows viewers that their humanity limits them from accessing Mary and Jesus. Furthermore, the portrait 's background highlights that Mary 's semi-divine status puts her in a liminal space. On one hand, Mary is a human just like the viewer; but, on the other hand, her purity and allegorical status make her un-relatable. Furthermore, Mary 's status is superior to the viewer 's. The ambiguous tone of Mary 's liminal space emphasizes that although mortals will be able to recognize Mary and Jesus’s superior status, they cannot understand the complete nature of the divine. Furthermore, the sense of liminality in the painting creates a sense of doubt that encourages the viewer to trust God and submit to his faithful guidance. In addition, the contrast between the gold, flat Byzantine background and life-like qualities of Mary and Jesus further emphasize the figures '