Defining Edges: A New Look at Picture Frames (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The choice of a frame affects the way we view a work of art in multiple ways, even when we are not aware of it. In this stimulating and truly original book, W. H. Bailey, an artist, designer, and frame consultant, shows how the frame is a vital part of viewing pictures and integral to their presentation. He shatters preconceived notions of borders and changes the way we see and understand art.

Bailey examines 56 paintings-including some well-known masterpieces-to explore how their frames, many designed by the artists themselves, relate to the pictures they surround. As The New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik says in his foreword: "Bailey views the act of framing not as a decorative act but as a meaningful one. . . a vindication of the purely visual, of seeing as a form of thought. A frame can be like a superior detective, come to force the picture to confess its real intentions, saying, as detectives will: 'Come out, come out! You're surrounded!'"

About the Author

W.H. Bailey teaches display design at Parsons School of Design and LIM College in New York City. He has also taught and lectured at Hunter College, the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Visual Arts, and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Bailey has worked as a visual consultant and frame-maker for many years, designing frames for the Museum of Modern Art and working personally with such artists as Jasper Johns, Jim Dine, and Lee Krasner.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (November 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810944898
• ISBN-13: 978-0810944893
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #509,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #23 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Framing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly informative, December 11, 2008

By	Debra A. Reed (Beautiful Northern Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently became interested in the idea of picture frames as an enhancement to the art they contain. This book is a great help along those lines. It starts with a brief review of the history of frames and then goes through many examples of the actual use of frames by artists. The author shows pictures of framed artwork and then comments on how and why they work. There are some very clever uses of frames including a whole chapter on ones specifically designed by the artist for a specific piece. These range from early religious frames, to the renaissance, to the most modern of paintings. One cannot escape the conclusion that the frame is the finishing touch for most art. You will never consider framing the same way after reading this. I am a much more educated consumer for taking the time. I am also going to be much more demanding for frames I purchase, I had no idea of the variety of creative frames available.