Right Angles
September 2003
There are no absolute rules for the journey toward a single framing solution except, perhaps, that it is essential to explore a few avenues en route. With a nod to that premise, here are several considerations for any frame search.Framing Basics
Remember: A frame is not decorative filler. Your eye should be guided to the picture, not the frame, when viewing a piece of art. Many framers make the mistake of taking a decorative approach—usually at the expense of the art—that elaborates on the design elements in the picture. A popular device plays with color by adding double and triple mats of different “harmonizing” hues. This solution usually diminishes the art while augmenting the square footage the eye must take in at a single glance. Such an elaborate encounter may succeed in filling the empty patch of wall above your couch, but it has nothing to do with viewing fine art. Variations on this approach are ubiquitous in the windows of many “custom” frame shops.
Work outward from the art: My one aesthetic dictum is that the frame should be a servant to the picture. It should never be the first thing you notice.
Buy only quality frames. Seek frames that are handmade with traditional craft procedures. A simple test is to check the corner of any gold molding. You should not see a diagonal corner miter cut; a proper junction will have been filled with the historic three-step technique using gesso, clay and the delicate laying of genuine gold leaf. Even a simple painted frame by a quality shop will never show the miter cut since the frame is joined in the wood stage and then a gesso finish applied before the paint.
Calculate the “cost per view.” Be careful not to get stymied by a common budgetary prejudice: an unwillingness to pay more for the frame than what you paid for the picture. Estimate the number of times you will be looking at the framed picture. Even a frame that costs thousands can work out to a small “cost per view.” Bear in mind that it is the total impact of what you see on the wall that you respond to. For example, I once grouped five Saul Steinberg postcards in a frame costing many times the price of the art, but the result continues to please years later.
Selecting a Framer
Beware of “custom” framing. All of the half-dozen shops I use shun this phrase because it has become a hollow term that means commercial, mass-produced, often garish moldings cut to size. Posters and reproductions are the mainstay of these small businesses, and although conservation materials are now widely available, they are expensive and almost never used on this class of merchandise. At worst, inept handling may permanently damage a good piece of art; at best, a mediocre solution will result.
Get recommendations. Visit local museums and ask conservators or curators what framers they recommend. Or ask gallery owners, who are constantly framing new work for changing exhibitions, for names of responsible and knowledgeable frame houses.
Selecting a Frame
Learn by critical viewing. Do a critical study of the frames in museums and galleries. Most museum visitors focus on the art. We are conditioned by art books to do as they do: eliminate the frame to experience the art. Counteract this by looking at both image and frame, and make observations about the way the two “live” together. Do they fight, mock each other or interact insightfully or delightfully? Remember that everything you see has not necessarily been given the most critical attention by experts.
Read about frames. Although not plentiful and typically targeted to specific styles and periods, there are some excellent books in libraries and sometimes in museum bookstores or online. Do-it-yourself books generally are not helpful, as they nearly always focus on “home workshop” techniques, spending little time discussing the interaction between frames and paintings.
Limit your choices. To cut down on confusion, select a maximum of three frame choices for a single artwork at one visit. Tell your adviser this before. They are accustomed to dealing with many pictures in a day; you are not. Once you have developed rapport with a consultant, you may be able to resolve more in less time.
Take eye and mind breaks. Periodically during the framing process—especially at the end—take a minute or two to look out a window, at flowers or anything pleasant. Then turn back, eye
and mind refreshed, to double-check that the frame works harmoniously with the art and does not dominate it.
Leave enough time to enjoy the process. You will be looking at your selection for a long time. Don’t cramp your schedule. An hour is usually enough time to look at three possible choices. If you are still in a quandary, leave the art and come back after a day or two for a final decision.
For More Information
Workshops that hand-make frames using traditional and modern frame craft techniques:
APF Master Framemakers, New York, NY 10022. (212) 308-6152.
Bark Frameworks Inc., New York, NY 10012. (212) 431-9080.
Don Francis Framing, Venice, CA 90291. (310) 301-9605.
Framers that specialize in repairing, gilding and enlarging/reducing older frames, and creating replicas:
Gill & Lagodich, New York, NY 10013. (212) 619-0631.
Eli Wilner & Co., New York, NY 10028. (212) 744-6521.
The Mission Guild, Venice, CA 90291. (310) 314-1335.
The Painters Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. (415) 431-9827.
W.H. Bailey, a frame consultant to collectors, galleries and museums, is the author of Defining Edges: A New Look at Picture Frames and teaches display design at Parsons School of Design and LIM College in New York City.