Bildytan

Bildytan is a Swedish term that literally means the image surface and is used to describe the two-dimensional plane on which a visual representation is formed or displayed. The concept is used across disciplines to denote the surface that carries visual content, distinct from the subject depicted or the surrounding space.

In art and painting, bildytan corresponds to the picture plane—the flat, rectangular surface bounded by the frame where the image is composed. It serves as the boundary between the viewer and the depicted world, and artists consider its orientation, proportions, and perspective when creating the composition.

In photography and optics, the image plane refers to the plane where the optical image is formed by a lens, typically aligning with the film or digital sensor. In camera models such as the pinhole model or lens-based systems, the image plane is located along the optical axis at a distance related to the focal length and is where the captured image is recorded.

In computer graphics and digital imaging, the image plane (or projection plane) is the two-dimensional plane onto which a three-dimensional scene is projected to produce a raster image. This plane is then mapped to display coordinates or to a texture in rendering workflows.

Terminology can vary by field, and bildytan may be used interchangeably with terms like picture plane, projection plane, or screen plane depending on context. The core idea remains a two-dimensional surface that contains the visible image, separate from the subject and the medium.