how can art be a mirror of society?

Painting can be a mirror of society in many ways. In the middle ages we could see that the church had the power therefore the paintings where all religious this showed how people was being controlled by religion. By the Time of the renaissance the church began to lose power and people became more humanist , paintings where about studies this shows how people in the time of the renaissance was more interested in studies . Drawings capture a certain place or moment and that place is like a photo that would tell what was happening in that moment.