Final answer:
The Middle Ages saw a decline in classical influence due to socio-political changes, the rise of Christianity, and economic instability, which led to a change in artistic styles and a focus on local rather than classical traditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
People in the Middle Ages did not always turn to examples and ideas from the Classical Period for a variety of reasons, primarily due to the socio-political transformations and the shift in religious and cultural paradigms following the fall of the Roman Empire. The Medieval era saw Europe fragmented into feuding kingdoms and principalities, where local lords provided security in return for submission. The Roman city life and its classic urban culture declined as people retreated into smaller, fortified settlements.
The sweeping changes of the era included the rise of Christianity as the dominant faith, which brought about a change in artistic styles and preference for symbolic representation over the naturalism of the Classical Period. This was visible in the art of the time which often depicted religious themes in a more static and two-dimensional style reflecting the Christian ethos of simplicity and spiritual focus.
Furthermore, the instability of the time and the breakdown of the centralized Roman economy affected patronage and the availability of resources leading to a decline in the investment for the arts, and the knowledge of classicism was no longer as widely disseminated among artists of the period.