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Have you thought much about frames? The frames that surround art that hangs on your wall? Why are we all so keen on using them? Is there something about the aesthetic or is it just a tradition?
Traditional Answer I did a little googling and frames originally, and still, provide protection for art against bumps and bruises and degradation. Over time, art frames evolved to reflect the styles of the era, so in art museums, for example, you’ll notice some very intricate frames that were popular during the Renaissance. The frames, in essence, can be further artistic embellishment of the art itself. Of course, dealers know that framing art in traditional, ornamental frames will inflate the perceived value of the art it contains.
Deeper Dive
But some artists in the modern era started to choose cheaper frames, or even eschewed frames altogether. James Johnson Sweeny, curator at the MOMA in the 1930’s and 40’s, considered frames a distraction and would remove them or make them inconspicuous.
Certainly, a frame can be PART of the art, in which case it needs to be in place. But in other cases, why, exactly, do we routinely feel the need to include a frame (assuming it isn’t required for protection)? The frame is said to separate the art from the rest of the world. It is announcing, “Here is a thing you should look at.” And the matte, if used, provides separation between the art and the frame, allowing you to view the art with no distraction.
Satisfying the Itch Why is it that after I make a piece of art, it seems just okay but looks SO MUCH better once it is framed? This is especially true when my piece has uneven edges. I wonder if the clean line surrounding the art satisfies an itch we have; it feels organized and contained. Without the frame, the art could “leak” out into our actual lives. The frame acts like the bars at the zoo—it allows us to scrutinize for as long as we want, safely.
Framing may satisfy the same urge as formal gardens or homogeneous green lawns. We yearn for structure and order and we have traditional, accepted ways to impose it on the world around us.
Why do we yearn for structure and order? Is this philosophical? Maybe it’s more biological. We constantly have to evaluate the world around us and make sense of it. One way we do that is to categorize things (these things might hurt me/ those things won’t), so having everything in neat, separated places satisfies this intrinsic urge.
Unframable
Some art by its nature can’t be framed— I’m thinking about murals. I don’t know about you, but I love them for their large scale and the way they loudly interject themselves into our everyday world.
How about Banksy’s art? That’s very unframed. In fact, not only is it frameless, but by appearing in a public space unannounced, it’s breaking boundaries of both space and time!
How come tattoos don’t have (tattooed) frames around them? Tattoos are actually a part of you, unlike wall art, so they are part of our real lives and don’t need to be separated from it for special attention. Wait, does that even make sense?!
Personal Perspective To my surprise, I’ve decided that a frame can actually diminish certain pieces. I have some botanically dyed pieces that speak for themselves. Perhaps due to their organic nature, a hard-angled, polished, man-made frame would clash with the natural vibe of the art.
Perhaps it’s no accident that one of the other most common uses of the word “frame” is in the phrase “frame of mind.” Describing what’s going on in someone’s mind is… impossible?...complicated for sure. The contents of the mind, like so much artwork, beg for framing so we can calmly ponder what it means.
Ultimately, to frame or not to frame is largely a personal preference that often varies based on the artwork itself and the space in which it will hang.
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