15. EXPERIMENTAL FRAMES, ORIGINAL DESIGNS

The best of contemporary de­sign does not attempt to break away completely from the past to create something merely for the sake of originality or newness.It attempts to utilize the best of what has gone before with the much wider range of materials available today and, in a creative spirit, to adapt the design to the needs of modern living. Louis Sullivan said "form follows function". Before we can decide on the form of the frame we must de­cide its function for the picture and the room in which it is to hang. It is always the first consideration of sound contemporary design in all fields. This sec­tion is therefore devoted to the integrating of pictures and their frames with furniture and living quarters of functional, modern character and not Grand Rapids "moderne".

Frames designed for pictures to be hung in con­temporary interiors can and should be as sound in taste and quality as those in traditional styles for ordi­nary rooms. A reproduction of a picture or an original from the period of Post-Impressionism in painting to the latest school will look much more attractive in a frame of original design in keeping with the character of the picture than one based on a traditional style of molding.

The categories of Moldings designed for contem­porary frames naturally adhere to the same groupings as those for traditional frames: Flat or angular, single curved and compound. However, because modem frames appear "different", confusion arises. They are merely extensions of conventional Moldings, simpli­fied and adapted to the picture and the interior by leaving off non-functional decoration and relying solely on the "form" or profile and clean, sharp fin­ishes for the effect.

It is lamentably true that ill-considered attempts to be different or "modern" only too often result in atrocities. With a little serious study given to the problem, however, it will be seen that contemporary design in picture framing offers many more oppor­tunities for the artist-craftsman to show what he can create than do the traditional styles. In spite of every­thing, run-of-the mill styles in frames will always be re-hashes.

Experimental work in contemporary design for frames should only be undertaken by the frame-maker who has had considerable experience in all branches of the craft. It demands greater skill and a higher degree of workmanship in both joining and finishing than does the usual type of work. There are no oppor­tunities for faking or fudging as there are when mak­ing or finishing an "antique" frame. In ordinary framing, a coat of paint covers a multitude of wood­working crimes but the joining and finishing of con­temporary frames must be perfect. Imperfections are only too apparent on the smooth, clean surfaces usu­ally employed.

When attempting the first experiments in design­ing original frames, it will be necessary to study die picture and the room in which it is to hang. Does the room have a quiet, restful background with muted colors and few competing pictures or are there several strong notes of color? Is the picture to take its place with others on the same wall or is it to hang alone against a large space? These questions must first be answered, because unlike conventional framing de­signed for characterless rooms, the frame to be created must be unique in conception and execution to play its part in making the room an esthetic entity.

If the painting or other picture is executed with powerful, pure color it may be desirable to have it "hug" the wall with a flat frame, thereby allowing the colors themselves to attract the eye. It may even be advisable to set it "into" the wall by using a shadow-box type of frame.

Unlike the suggestions made for conventional fram­ing work, actual metal finishes, highly polished, may be exactly what is needed in certain cases. Sheet chromium, copper or brass, bent over wooden forms, may be utilized successfully alone or in combination with other materials.

Super-thick mats with straight or bevel edges; plain, textured or covered with modern fabrics and surrounded by a narrow frame may help to give a small picture the importance it deserves.

Contemporary design avails itself of modern mate­rials and is thus truly functional. While the effort in conventional framing is centered on achieving a neu­tral effect, modern framing calls for the employment of bold, pure color when necessary. The walls of modern interiors form perfect backgrounds for pic­tures and their frames.

Considering a hypothetical problem, let us assume that a picture to be framed is painted in more or less monochromatic, neutral colors. Small in size, it is to hang on a wall of soft color. First, the frame should be wide, and second, the picture should be brought forward. With these two points established, it follows that the problem can be solved easily in two ways. A wide, angle molding which would isolate the picture from the wall and bring it forward by slanting back itself could be used. On the other hand, the same effect would be achieved by framing the picture in a narrow and deep box-like frame super-imposed on a wide, flat molding.

If the angle molding is used, the color of the main part might be one of the lighter tones in the picture and both the inside and outside edges of the frame strong enough in color and value to form an accent and a line of demarcation.

The box-like frame mounted on a flat molding could be finished as follows: The large flat area and the outside of the narrow frame should be painted with white or off-white (or a much lighter tone of the wall color). The top edge and the outside edge of the flat part should then be painted with a deeper value of the darkest color in the picture.

Taking as another problem; a large, brightly colored picture may need something to hold it back or to integrate it with the room which may be small and may already contain several notes of clear color in upholstery or accessories. The problem now is exactly the reverse; the picture must be held down a little because it already calls enough attention to itself. One solution would be to send it back "into" the wall with a deep, narrow, shadow-box frame, perhaps one with a shallow, convex curve. A large picture of this type can take a 2" or more deep molding. If the inside edge is painted about the same color as the wall and the top or outside edges a very much darker shade of the same color, the picture will appear to retreat. Still another method of making a large, powerful picture appear smaller is to frame it with a very wide, say 6" or 8", flat frame. Perhaps the inside or outside edge could be rounded slightly. The face should be painted one or two values lighter than the wall and the out­side edge slightly darker. While the over-all effect may be large, the picture itself will seem smaller.

Because some pictures require glass, do not use it merely as a protective covering but attempt to utilize it effectively in an original manner. With certain Moldings the glass can be fastened towards the front of the frame and the picture held some distance in back of it.

Again, the picture could be matted in a super-thick mat and brought forward against the glass but in a very narrow, deep molding. The outside and inside edges should then be painted white or a very light color and the top edge could match the mat which in turn might duplicate some color in the picture.

Extra thick mats on pictures which need glass are usually always effective. They can be cut out of a solid piece of wallboard such as homosote, or mitered and assembled out of ordinary pine. A sheet of mat board can then be glued down and a window carefully cut.The whole is painted and sanded smoothly, giving the effect of a window mat cut out of a solid block. This type of mat can be extremely effective when painted a deep, flat color if the picture is generally light in tone. If the picture is low in key, a pure white or pastel-tinted color will be best. Painting the inside edges a contrasting color provides a note of emphasis and interest. Beveling thick mats will create still an­other esthetic result, changing their whole character.

Contemporary framing of the type described does not aim at producing unique-ness at all costs but aims at integrating the picture with the interior in order to carry out the clean, simple lines of modern design. The picture will be emphasized in the room as it should be because extraneous, distracting pattern in the frame or the background is completely eliminated.

Simplicity, then, is the keynote of modern framing. It is not difficult to plan the width or depth, the angle or curve of a molding for a particular picture once a decision has been reached regarding the func­tion the frame is to perform for the picture in a spe­cific room.

The beginner's first experiments might be carried out by selecting a reproduction of a modern painting, say an abstract picture by Picasso and trying various shapes to achieve as totally different effects as pos­sible. Design profiles of Moldings on paper accord­ing to the different purposes they should have and then try working them out with hand tools in short lengths. Place them against the picture and try to visualize how they might appear with painted finishes. If an especially good profile seems exactly right, pro­ceed to make up the molding from plain stock or havea lumber yard do the milling if no power tools areavailable.

Above all, remember that modern design is here to stay and to develop; the framer with a little vision will do well to familiarize himself with it and to adapt his outlook and work to be ready for the future.

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