As Il Carnevale borrowed the idea of masking from the stage, from traditional Commedia dell'arte- Italian improvisational comedy featuring stock characters- the mask became both concealing and revealing. Being masked, it points out, displaces meaning from who you are to how you behave, releasing the mask wearer to behave in ways that would otherwise be inappropriate. The liberating role of the mask is at once playful, mysterious, and sometimes sinister, indeed, many malefactors from throughout Europe sought refuge in the masked throngs of Venice's streets.
Along with the humorous Pulcinella character featured so prominently in the commedia dell'arte, certain masks became associated with certain kinds of behavior. The most notorious of these was the black mask, linked with amorous intrigue and mysterious plots against the powers of the Venetian state. The mask also gave free reign to the artist's imagination and describes ways in which the Venetian social scene can be dominated.
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