system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are there so many medieval paintings of nonchalant looking people with grievous injuries?

I'm sure a lot of us have seen them in meme format; the paintings of casual looking people with swords through their necks, an ax in their head, a knife in their stomach. But why? Was it cultural commentary about the difficulty of the times? Were they just boring paintings of casual moments that were painted over with violence to spice it up? When I search for explanations, I only find collections of the strange art instead of contextual perspective or information.

Thanks in advance!
gpt
A lot of European art during this period was based on Christian (Catholic) art, which included  depictions of various Saints. Many of the saints were martyrs - people who had been tortured and killed instead of renouncing their faith. Martyrs were depicted as being at peace to reflect the presence of God (specifically the Holy Spirit) who provided the strength to endure. In addition, the martyr was focused on their eternal life in heaven, perhaps even seeing Jesus in heaven during the torture.

Since many people were illiterate, the artwork would also give information on who the martyr was or the reason for their martyrdom. This explains why the are depicted doing normal things. 

The religious art of this era has survived better than secular art because the churches, abbys,  and monasteries preserved them. As Europe moved into the Renaissance Era, the Medieval art was not seen as beautiful or skilled,so secular art, which didn't tell an important story, wasn't preserved as often.