As Ralph says, the mat and frame separate the image from the rest of the wall, adjacent images and the room, allowing the eye to concentrate on the image as an object in itself. This can be contrasted with the way murals and sculptures are often fully integrated with their surroundings. The right framing for an image is not just a function of that print or that photographers style, but also needs to reflect where it is hung. A few legitimate reasons for large frames/mats are: Large exhibition spaces with high ceilings tend to suit larger frames, even if the image is small. Brightly coloured walls need wider mats to allow the photograph some independance from that colour influence. Images that are not related to those they are hung next to need a decent size frame to provide some separation. If the exhibition context is not known at the time an image is framed, you are less likely to go wrong with a good width of neutral mat. Nicolas DarkroomMagic <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: PureSilverNew <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > cc: Sent by: Subject: [pure-silver] Re: A Walk Through the Exhibition pure-silver-bounce@fre elists.org 21/10/04 06:00 Please respond to pure-silver It is the function of the mountboard, overmat and frame to support and protect the surroundings of the image from distracting influences without becoming a disturbance themselves. Regards Ralph W. Lambrecht ============================================================================================================= To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.