L’architettura dipinta e il disegno dello spazio nel ciclo delle Storie di San Francesco ad Assisi

Abstract

Since antiquity, the representation of architecture has played a significant role in the figurative arts; however, with Giotto’s work it assumed a new centrality, contributing decisively to the construction of pictorial space and visual narrative. The painted building is no longer conceived merely as a backdrop, but becomes a coherent and plausible “place”, grounded in real construction models and capable of mediating between the observer and the narrated scene. This research examines the cycle of the Stories of Saint Francis in the Upper Basilica of Assisi, systematically analysing the internal pictorial apparatus and the painted architectures through the tools of drawing and digital survey.
The pictorial cycle was analysed using a stratified logic, structuring the investigation into interpretative layers that convey the complexity and internal coherence of the iconographic programme. The analysis was carried out through a decomposition into layers, distinguishing the painted architectural frame – which encloses the scenes and connects real space with represented space – from the architectures depicted within the individual scenes.
The study shows that the plurality of representational modes adopted does not derive from approximate technical knowledge, but responds to precise perceptual, narrative and symbolic needs, consistent with the medieval conception of space as non-unitary and with the cultural and philosophical premises of the period.
The analysis of the twenty-eight frescoes made it possible to identify six modes of spatial representation and five spatial typologies, highlighting recurring relationships between forms of representation and narrative function. Architecture thus emerges as the principal ordering device of the image: it organises the scene, defines its hierarchies and contributes to its narrative effectiveness.