Modern Frames

At the Hepworth gallery in Wakefield I was interested to look at the frames that artists used. These were often clearly not professionally framed, and it seemed that they were sometimes made from recycled frames. Roger Fry's "Boats in Harbour" 1915 has a series of frames including a 1/2" gilded frame, a lower 1" inner frame and then a 2" white frame. A simple tenon joint on the back frame gives depth to a mitre on the front frame. Mondrian's "Composition C (No 111)" has a piece of 1/2" wood, butt-jointed around a canvas 1" deep, producing a "stepped" profile. John Wells' "Island Counterpoint" 1956 also has this "double frame", with the inner frame having both mitre and butt joints in the same frame. When searching for these paintings online, you can only see the painting, not the frame. I understand this in some ways, but for me the part of the essence of the paintings is the quality and experience of the frame. I am using these framing systems in my work to give feelings of Arte Povera, heirloom and timelessness.