dressing art
I have always thought that there was a clear parallelism between framing a painting, and dressing our body. Framing a painting goes far beyond the fact of choosing and putting a frame on a painting.
Each canvas, each drawing, each photograph requires its "suit". And not just any suit, but one that highlights virtues, mitigates defects and offers adequate protection to last over time.
It is very interesting to stop to analyze similarities:
The frame is the costume of art
In both cases, the clothing on the human body and the frame on the painting have a protective function. Both exert a cover that protects from environmental factors, on our body in one case, and on the work of art itself in the other. Clothing protects our body and framing protects the painting. The suit delimits and outlines our body, the frame defines, delimits the very space of the painting and facilitates its vision.
Highlighting positives, or masking imperfections, is another overlap between apparel and artwork framing. Just as a certain suit, dress or hairstyle can highlight our personality and our most relevant physical virtues, the choice of frame, passe-partout, etc... they can improve or ruin the virtues of the piece to be framed. Facilitate the reading-vision of painting, drawing, etc.… it is a faculty inherent in its framing.
Uses and protocols
Just as protocol and certain social norms define our styling for certain environments or social events, something similar happens with paintings. Framing to exhibit in a museum is not the same as framing for an interior design project. Framing to hang in public places is not the same as framing for the living room of our house.
For all of the above, I believe that the suit and the frame are analogous elements applied to the body and the frame. For this reason I have always defined the frames as:
Decorative Framing
They are jobs where the motif to be framed is not of great interest. They practically lack artistic and/or historical value. Generally it is not an original work, they are printed reproductions, simple plates. They are only pleasant motifs that have as value their decorative capacity.
They are usually works printed on paper, so we will be obliged to protect them from external agents to ensure that they fulfill their function, at least during the period of time that they are in fashion.
Regarding the products used in the assembly, we should not invest many economic resources either. Acid free materials, conservation grade products are not necessary, in these mounts. The cost of this material will be higher than that of replacing the motif in the event of marked deterioration.
framed conservation
In these cases, the works are usually carried out for people who appreciate art. As a common feature they show a marked sensitivity for artistic creation. In the vast majority of cases they are interested in collecting, hence the interest in preserving and making their collection last over time, in the best possible conditions. The quality and quantity of the works is an external factor to the issue at hand: their framing.
We are aware that your collection, no matter how modest, is important. When they buy a drawing, a photograph, etc..., it is because something in it has aroused your interest, whether its message, its beauty or any other characteristic, this will be the essence that the framing must enhance.
For this type of framing, acid-free, conservation-grade elements and materials are obviously mandatory. Let us remember once again that frame and framing must protect and serve the work they adorn.
Framed Museum
This type of work requires a high degree of professionalism and knowledge. If the work deserves to be exhibited in a public place, Museum, Gallery, Foundation, etc..., it is because it has an undoubted artistic value and, very probably, also historical.
In this case, the materials to be used will be of high quality. All, absolutely all, the materials that are in contact with the work must comply with the international standards established for this purpose.
Depending on the case, some institutions will not even allow us to manipulate the works. We will provide the materials already prepared. It will be its curators who will mount the works on the mats and folders that we will have made for this purpose.
The frames will be created following the criteria set by the curator responsible for the concept and the exhibition line defined for this purpose. He will be responsible for choosing the type and quality of the molding to be used. You will decide on the most suitable trim profile. It will take into account circumstances such as Which profile casts more or less shadows on the work? etc...
Once the listed works have been carried out, possibly, we will be the ones who, in the presence of the curator assigned by the institution, will finish the framing. We will install the appropriate glass or acrylic, we will introduce the assembly folder with the work, and we will seal the work, thus ending the operation.
In the previous description I have described the framing process for some pieces of the exhibition "Juan Prim y Prats, from soldier to President"
Made in the Army Museum of Toledo. The framed funds for the exhibition belonged to the National Library. In this case, the pieces that were framed for the exhibition were several maps and a photograph.
The protocols are not always coincident, each institution will have its own established. I wanted to describe the sequence of a real case, as an example, to show the rigor that this type of framing requires.
historical framing
In this case, the objective is clear: we must find an original framework of the time and style of the work. On certain occasions, when this is not possible, some people resort to making a reproduction of the frame used at that historical moment.
Many painters personally framed their paintings or gave clear instructions on how to frame them. Historical framing consists of studying the work and author, the artistic movement to which it could belong and with all this data, establishing the most faithful framing to its time.
In this case, in addition to technical knowledge about framing, you must have knowledge of art history and the ability to investigate and inquire until you obtain the information that leads to the correct framing.