Prophets and Kings and Queens of Judea

This is a picture of the Prophets and Kings and Queens of Judea. (c. 1245-1155) These tall slender statues reside on the west façade of the Chartres Cathedral in France.  At this time sculptors shied away from Roman style sculptures due to the religious persecution of Christians in Rome.  This is represented by the figures seemingly defying gravity, and their clothing failing to conform to the human figure.  In this setting these Gothic sculptures pushed the limits by giving a slight naturalistic representation of the human form becoming one of the first works to shift back to a Romanesque decor.

Pushing the limits of society through art allows social growth by planting subtle ideas that grow to revolutionize culture.  Although the slight naturalistic representation of the human form is not in itself revolutionary, this slight push to the social envelope will later send society into a new era.

Source:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81/