Paintings only look their best when framed correctly. Here’s Why.
Choosing the perfect painting can often seem like the most difficult part of purchasing art. You may spend hours, days, or even weeks browsing websites, visiting galleries, and perhaps even using augmented reality apps on your phone or tablet to aid in selecting a beautiful piece. Your new painting is going to take pride of place in your home, maybe filling a gap that has been annoying you since you finished decorating the room where you intend to place it.
The day arrives, and your stunning new piece of art is delivered. This painting could be the fruit of months of saving, or an investment piece by one of your favorite artists – it could be your first Angelo Accardi, Eduardo Kobra, or Alec Monopoly, something you have dreamt of owning for a long time. So, that’s the hard part over… isn’t it?
Not so fast. Choosing the right frame with which to display your dream painting is sometimes just as difficult as deciding on the right piece of artwork itself.
Frames don’t just hang art – they are used to anchor paintings to the surrounding space and must complement or contrast the décor of the room if the artwork is to look it’s best. Let’s look at a few of the most important factors to consider when selecting the perfect frame for your treasured new artwork.
Why Framing Matters
The frame you choose for your new painting will be strongly influenced by the style of the painting, it’s overall color and tone, the material it is painted on, and where you wish to position it, amongst other factors.
Furthermore, all artwork is susceptible to degradation over time as a result of being exposed to the light of the sun, as well as the potential for theft or damage resulting from poor placement within your home.
So, whilst the aesthetics of a frame are undoubtedly important – critical in fact, if it is to make the desired impact on the room where it is placed – you must also consider the properties of the artwork, how susceptible the medium it is painted on is to light degradation, and if the correct frame could help to protect the artwork against other environmental factors.
Choosing the right frame is not just about style.
Pre-Framed paintings
Sometimes, the artist who creates the painting will consider the shortcomings of the media and pigments they have used and use their unique knowledge to select a perfect frame that matches their latest work. An accomplished artist will usually have a good eye for the types of frames that will suit their latest piece – both practically and aesthetically. Buying a pre-framed piece ensures that your new painting can be displayed exactly as the artist intended – if your first thought is to replace the frame, perhaps you should consider exchanging the painting altogether.
If you are purchasing from a gallery, they may well be able to offer invaluable suggestions as to how you should frame the piece. Where such options are available, they will usually be worth splashing out a little extra cash to obtain.
Types of Frames
The most common materials used in the construction of frames are wood, metal, glass, and plastic. Each of these four options has advantages and disadvantages, such as the range of colors, styles, and finishes which are possible using each material.
Metal frames, for example, will usually be limited to the shinier tones of gold, silver, or copper, whereas plastic frames can be purchased in any shade and color you prefer.
Wooden frames tend to focus on a narrow range of tones, and are rarely painted in brighter colors – the texture of wood is wasted if the entire surface is covered in multiple layers of paint.
Glass frames may encompass a border, but the primary difference between options will usually be in its finish – matte glass is much more suitable for environments with lots of sunlight, whereas glossy finishes will inevitably make the artwork difficult to enjoy any time it is being lit by direct sunlight.
Choosing the Right Color
Color is generally regarded as the most important consideration when choosing a frame, which could immediately limit your choice of material. The question is, where should the contrast be? Between the wall and the frame, or between the painting and the frame?
Often, the best answer is both – but the width of the frame and its ratio to the size of the painting can sometimes make it more attractive to match the tone of the frame to the painting, and then contrast the full piece of art with its environment.
Is a Frame Always Required?
This is an excellent question – many modern paintings are produced on canvas designed to be displayed unframed, as any rough edges are neatly concealed out of view of those who are observing the piece.
Some artworks employ multiple canvases, which are intended to be displayed alongside each other in a regular pattern – most often in a horizontal row, but sometimes as a 2×2 collage. This type of artwork works best without any frame at all.
Conclusion
We’ve tried to provide as much guidance as possible here, but ultimately the choice of frame used is just as subjective as choosing a painting to begin with. The most important thing is that you are happy with your new painting, and the way it is displayed. Remember, you can always experiment later!
