Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Do you have to display oil paintings without glass?

I recently purchased an oil painting from Africa. I also purchased a frame from a major art/frame store. Should I display it without the glass or does it matter?Do you have to display oil paintings without glass?
An oil painting has to breathe: no glassDo you have to display oil paintings without glass?
It will look better without the glass.





The most important thing you need to know, though, is that if you insist on framing it WITH glass, the glass must NOT touch the painting itself. If it does, the paint will eventually stick to the glass, and you will never be able to fix that. If you feel you need glass over an oil painting, there must be a separation of at least 1/4'; between the glass and the paint film. I'll bet the frame you bought didn't have separators with it. That's because they usually have to be made by hand, by the framer.





So you see, it's much easier all around to frame it without the glass, and just use the glass for something else.
oil paintings are almost never covered in glass. Drawings on paper are usually covered in glass because they are more delicate than paintings. To expose the true beauty of the painting, don't use glass. Museums don't use glass for most oil paintings (unless they are especially famous or delicate, but even hundreds of year old paintings are not glassed)
Without the glass. The glass will cause the oils to heat and run. At best it would only cause discolouration.
I've never seen them displayed any other way. If you encase them in glass, the painting could not breathe. Usually, an oil painting is done on canvas, and that needs to be kept aired. You don't want to spoil the painting. Watercolors are what need to be behind glass. It's a hassle, too. I do watercolors.


Grams
it is safe either way, but uncovered, an oil painting shows more texture and the techniques used by the artist...if that is a noticeable feature of this work, it would be best without the glass
This is one of those questions where the answer is not really ';yes'; or ';no';. There are some very good points made in the previous posts. Most important, was someone's caution that the paint needs to breathe. Very true, especially if this was recently painted. Some people say that if paint is thick in some places, the paint will still be drying for quite a long time. For this reason, they caution us not to varnish our paintings until the paint has cured for 6 months to 1 year. There are exceptions to this caution. In some museums, we have seen a protective ';covering'; over a painting. My suspicion is that it is not glass, but a non-glare lexan-type of material. This is no doubt, put in place to protect the painting from any mishaps caused by public viewing. The thing to remember, is that with this sort of protective framing, the plastic (or whatever material they use), never actually touches the painting. There are perhaps what we might call ';spacers';, between the protective lexan material, and the painting. Such that, the protective material never touches the painting.





Hope I didn't confuse the issue too much.





I totally agree with someone's post up there, that framing without any protective barrier, allows you to experience (see) the beautiful brush strokes, and the transitions between the shadow and light areas, etc. I don't believe I have ever seen an oil painting in a gallery or home, that has had any protective barrier (glass or acrylic). Only in a Musuem.





Some art conservators (people who specialize in the care and preservation of art work) address the issue of a painting with glass. So, it is indeed an issue that comes up. Here is a typical website, for such an art conservator:





http://www.conservationregister.com/careoilpainting.asp?id=4





You can continue your search on google, by using combinations of search words such as: conservators recommendations framing paintings...or paintings framed with glass conservation advice.





congratulations on purchasing an original oil painting! With good care, you will enjoy it for many many years to come.
Without the glass. One of the benefits of an original oil (as opposed to a print) is the visible texture, depth, and brush strokes. Glass makes it less visible.
It's up to you. glass will keep it from getting marked up and absorbing dirt and dust. Most oil paintings 'show' better without glass. It depends on how important the picture is to you and which way you think it looks better.
no
Hi,





Usually an oil painting is displayed without glass, mainly because an accident can happen and the glass my harm the painting, namely cutting the canvas (if it's on canvas).


Oil paintings under glass are usual seen on museums so that people won't touch them. The use museum/conservation glass which under proper lighting is almost 芦invisible禄.


Opposite to what was said above, conservation glass will also protect from UV. Of course that paintings in museums are under proper conditions. But I'm sure that you won't place your painting in a solarium :-)





Kind regards,





Jos茅

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