Final answer:
Byzantine images of Christ are characterized by Symbolic Representation, which underemphasizes individual features and standardizes faces to create a spiritual and ethereal look.
Step-by-step explanation:
Flattened forms and stylized features are characteristic of Byzantine images of Christ due to Symbolic Representation. Byzantine art moved away from the classical realism of previous art forms to emphasize a spiritual, ethereal quality. This approach underemphasized individual features and standardized facial features to create a uniform, more abstract expression. The large, penetrating eyes and stern look of the figures in icons were deliberate choices to imbue the images with a mystical or magical significance. Unlike the three-dimensional forms seen in Greek and Roman statuary that aimed to convey an idealized version of the subject, Byzantine art depicted figures that were columnar and lacked substantial differentiation, conveying a flat and formless appearance.
By comparing Byzantine art to later periods, such as the Renaissance and Baroque, where a greater sense of realism and dynamic poses can be found, the distinction becomes apparent. The Byzantine style was less concerned with naturalistic details and instead focused on creating symbolic and divinely powerful imagery.