This fortnightly feature was published on August 2
Being picture-perfect

By Harkiran Sodhi

PICTURES play an important role in the furnishing of any home. They add colour and character to the room they are placed in and, most importantly, breathe some life and personality into what would otherwise simply be a space. But just as it is important to have pictures on the wall, it is also essential to have the correct picture.

What is it that constitutes a perfect picture? The content, size, predominant colour, shape, style and framing — all combine to make the picture. Size is very important while selecting a picture for the room. So always keep the room in mind while buying one. Select the picture to go with the size, shape as well as colour of the room.

A large, open room can easily take large rectangular pictures, while smaller rooms should have pictures in a smaller size displayed in them. An oddly shaped room would look better with a simple shaped frame while "normal" rooms can have more innovatively shaped pictures displayed to an advantage.

The colour scheme of the room and the picture should be taken into consideration.A room done up in pastels should have pictures echoing the same range of colours as well as feeling. Bright rooms look better with vivid, bold paintings or prints on the wall, as softer hued ones will tend to look washed out. Even the amount of natural light a room receives makes a difference to the pictures displayed.

Many people like to echo the colour scheme of a room in the pictures they display in it or then pick one of the room’s colours and highlight that. This they feel gives the room a more complete and comprehensive look. If you have a picture that is particularly beautiful then you can try to work the room colours and style around displaying that instead for a more interesting look.

Try to keep the theme of the room as well as the picture synchronised. If you have the room decorated in a Chinese look then oriental pictures would add to the look, while an ethnic room has to have Indian paintings, pictures and wall hangings to complete the ambience.

The framing of the picture is the one thing that can make or ruin the picture’s impact. Correct framing is one that will enhance and add to the picture’s beauty and interest rather than take away from it. A common mistake most of us make is to either try and pick on a frame that is in vogue or we personally like without really giving any thought to the picture that is to be displayed in it. Gold-painted frames and carved wooden frames were very popular a few years ago and many people were framing just about anything in these.

The frame should capture and enhance the look of the picture subtly without letting the attention get riveted on the frame instead. In order to do so the frame must be of the right size, shape, thickness, colour and style.

A picture that is bold and large should not have an overpowering frame as the two will vie for attention and only result in looking loud and gaudy. Bold oil paintings, or larger prints need a simple frame that completes the picture’s look while keeping the viewer’s eye on the picture itself. Small pictures that can get lost should be displayed in larger frames, while busy, or intricate prints or pictures look best with some open area left on all the four sides to give them a more airy look.

A jungle scene framed by a simple and lightly polished bamboo frame adds to the theme the picture is presenting.An old Indian miniature can be set off beautifully with a wooden carved frame while if you have something modern and light then a simple frame with wash colours derived from the picture itself are the best bet.

After you decide on what frame to select comes the display of the picture. The height the picture is displayed at is a particularly sensitive point.

The picture hung up should have a set relation within the rectangle of the wall it is hung on. So it should neither be hung too high to be viewed easily nor to low. The general rule is to place the centre of the picture at or just a little above the eye level.

If you are displaying a number of small paintings which form a group or constitute the same theme, then you can display them all together in a group so as to show their collective composition. A large, imposing picture is best displayed alone on a large empty wall, preferably with nothing large just under it.

Pictures are best displayed away from direct sunlight as they could fade and loose colour in patches. Damp walls are another area to be avoided if possible as the damp tends to seep through the best of frames, ruining the picture.

While hanging a picture the type of hooks used will also have to be kept in mind. If the picture is light in weight then decorative picture hooks and screws can be easily used. Heavier pictures, however, need to be hung up with a more secure system and often the decorative hooks available in the market cannot take the weight for long.

When you take your next picture to get it framed try to spend a little extra if necessary but go to someone who not only specialises in framing but has some knowledge to guide you about the correct frame for your picture. Try not to be influenced by the frame in itself but what it will look like as a whole when fitted on the picture. Then select the place to display it to the best advantage keeping the above given points in mind.

A perfect picture is one that is selected, framed and displayed to set it and its surroundings to the best advantage. After all you have heard the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words."