Flow Of Boundaries

The frames of paintings have been discussed comprehensively by art theorists and philosophers, due to the special function and historical development. Through the observation and research of the frames of Italian Renaissance paintings, especially the depicted frames at the edges, several practical functions and morphological orientations can be summarized. As either windows or the symbolic representation of the formal and functional theatrical stages, the frames all led to the transmission and reception of new knowledge and new ideology, such as the popularization of Perspective, renovation in architectural field and the development of preliminary theatrical stages, which closely related to the socio-cultural context. It referred to the interacting of multiple art media, and represented in the pictorial expressions, penetrating in the general artistic atmosphere or "Total Art" in Renaissance Italy.It is very common to see the transgression of frame by the figure in the picture in medieval and Renaissance art. By observation and comparison of massive images, we can find that the attempts to transcend the frames of Giotto di Bondone from the Late Middle Ages and following artists originated from more ancient traditions, which can be testified by the illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts in the Middle Ages. The phenomenon of ’transcendence" implies the real and unreality of paintings, emphasizing the magical power and supreme position of the transcendent figures. And going beyond the frame also involves the relationship between image and the frame. Beginning from the 15th century, the representational method of painting became more advanced by the application of perspective, which created more realistic illusions and generated a more realistic communication between the real and illusionary pictorial world. The complicated spatial structure of Mannerism and the magnificent manifestation of the zenith during Pre-Baroque were all triggered by the new recognition of frames. The Renaissance artists responded differently to the various new generated concepts, therefore, the new ideas and representational methods of the frames were also transforming accordingly. The transformations indicated a revolution of the display of the pictorial space and the development of the forms of the frames. Also worth mentioning, the multiple functions and symbolic meanings of frames were intertwined and interacted. The generation and transformation of the frames were an inter-media development. The rich expressional forms also provided us a fresh perspective to reexamine the Italian Renaissance art, the inspiring significances and the questions generated from which still worth discussing today.