In Art nothing is a trifle…

Art connoisseurs know that the perception of a picture can be modified once another frame is applied

“The frame chosen neatly and properly can highlight the canvas’s merits, stressing its completeness in its distinctness from its surroundings. A picture with no frame looks exactly like a gem without a setting or a book with no binding and cover”, says Oksana Lysenko, a senior research assistant of the State Russian Museum.

Leonardo da Vinci. Virgin of the Rocks.
Carved Frame of the Renaissance (Louvre, Paris).

The carved frame of the last third part of the 18th century taken from
the graphic portrait of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (the State Russian Museum, Saint-Petersburg)

O. Kiprensky. The portrait of B. Thorvaldsen. Italian carved frame of the XIX century
chosen by the painter (the State Russian Museum, Saint-Petersburg)

V. Vereshchagin. Japanese Woman. Author’s frame dated by the 1900s
(the State Russian Museum, Saint-Petersburg)

V. Kandinsky. All Saints.
(The City Gallery of Lenbachhauz, Munich)

With the belief that in art nothing is a trifle, we turned Oksana Lysenko, one of the most recognized Russian fine art experts, and asked her to tell us about the origin and evolution of picture frames. A lecture and a demonstration called “In Harmony with Picture. The Story of Picture Frame Creation” became integral part of the business agenda of the III International Exhibition of Calligraphy (September 10-12, 2010, Veliky Novgorod).

Oksana Lysenko

Source: International Exhibition of Calligraphy