52x78 Elite Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Stretcher Frame Kit

True 3:2 Film Proportion - 52x78 Size

The 3:2 aspect ratio is a very familiar format film, computer screens, and video, and, of course, is an aesthetically appealing proportion for your artistic compositions. Most 35 mm film cameras are based on this exact proportion, so our brains are trained to see images in this same ratio. It is commonly used for landscape photography and artwork, as it allows for a wide, panoramic view of the scene. It can be used to create a sense of balance and harmony in the composition, providing depth and perspective, as the longer sides of the canvas allow for more space to depict the background or foreground elements of the scene.

Even though this proportion is widely used, there are only a handful of commonly available standard canvas sizes in this ratio. There are a whole collection of intriguing (what we call) Lost Sizes, which are uncommon sizes in this common proportion. Unusual canvas sizes add intrigue to your artwork and an additional story to tell about your painting.

Explore other sizes in this same 3:2 aspect ratio:

12x18 • 14x21 • 16x24 • 18x27 • 20x30 • 22x33 • 24x36 • 26x39 • 28x42 • 30x45 • 32x48 • 34x51 • 36x54 • 38x57 • 40x60 • 42x63 • 44x66 • 46x69 • 48x72 • 50x75 • 54x81 • 56x84 • 58x87 • 60x90 • 62x93 • 64x96 • 66x99 • 68x102 • 70x105 • 72x108 • 74x111 • 76x114 • 78x117 • 80x120

Elite™ Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Bar • 1/2" Canvas Clearance

A Canvas Clearance of 1/2" is the space between the Bar and the canvas. Generally speaking, more clearance reduces the risk of the canvas touching the wood and creating unsightly lines during painting. Our design provides the optimal clearance so as not to impact your painting, but still leaving enough wood to the maximize strength of the Stretcher Bar.

No Finger Joints!

Solid Wood is far superior to finger jointed wood, which is many small pieces glued together, each with varying grain densities that absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, expanding and contracting non-uniformly as environmental conditions change, and causing the wood to bow and the finger joints to eventually fail.

A single homogeneous kiln-dried solid wood Stretcher Bar outperforms and outlasts a finger jointed Bar whose sole purpose is to save the manufacturer cost, not contribute to the archival value of artwork intended to last a millennium. As a manufacturer, Masterpiece® does its part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

• Super strong Elite™ B2™ Stretcher Bar is 50% stronger than most others in its class
• For this 52x78 large size frame, the frame provides the ultimate foundation for your art with increased strength and stability
• Produces a 1.5" deep stretched canvas
• 2-1/4" wide Stretcher Bars
• All Bars have an exclusive groove on the inside perimeter of the frame to which cross braces and Diamond Corner Braces attach
• Solid Ponderosa Pine or Fir from the Pacific Northwest

Sustainability Promotes Social Well-Being

The forests of the world are a precious resource that must be protected for future generations. By using lumber from sustainably managed forests in our products, we can help to ensure that these valuable resources are preserved and protected. This is not only important for the environment, but also for the social and economic well-being of the communities that rely on these forests for their livelihoods.

Specially Dried and Heat Treated Lumber

We source our wood from a select group of top-tier environmentally conscious lumber mills in the Pacific Northwest. These mills specially dry and heat-treat the lumber to our specifications, resulting in about half the moisture content compared to wood from typical home improvement centers or lumber yards. This process makes the wood stronger, reducing the likelihood of cracking, splitting, or warping. While the wood we use comes at a higher cost, it ensures a more dimensionally stable end product. This stability is crucial for crafting fine professional canvases that support your invaluable art over time.

58x84 is the Canvas Size Needed for this 52x78 Frame

Please note that you will need a canvas that is at least 6 Inches larger than the actual frame size to ensure proper stretching. This will provide ample material to stretch the canvas and attach it to the back of the frame. If you prefer to attach the canvas from the edge of the stretcher frame, you can reduce the size of your canvas by approximately 3/4" all the way around the frame. This will allow you to paint on the edge of the canvas and hang your artwork without needing a separate picture frame. And, if you ever need to remove the canvas from the frame and re-attach it, you'll have enough material to do that too.

Rooted in California and flourishing since 1965, Masterpiece® takes pride in its family-led legacy of crafting North America's premier Stretcher Bars. Our quest for excellence isn't just a goal but a commitment, positioning us as the trailblazers in the domain of fine-art canvas. Our innovative patents have set new benchmarks, ensuring our offerings stand unmatched. Dive into the tactile experience of our products, and you'll instantly recognize the distinct Masterpiece® quality, a signature appreciated by both your clientele and future art connoisseurs.

To me, barbaric art is of more interest than civilized art. ♦ Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin's fervor for what he deemed barbaric art reveals a core element of his artistic philosophy. Throughout his life, Gauguin exhibited a hunger for authenticity, an attribute he believed was sometimes masked by the veneers of civilization. In his quest for artistic truth, he was often drawn towards cultures that had remained relatively untouched by the sweeping hand of Western influence.

The allure of barbaric or primal art lies in its rawness and directness. Such artworks, unfettered by the conventions and constructs of civilized societies, possess an immediacy of expression that strikes straight to the core of human experience. While many artists find solace in the techniques and tools taught to them, there are those among us who find inspiration in the unfiltered expressions of cultures distant from our own. By turning to these untamed sources, we hope to tap into an elemental essence, a purity often lost in the noise of modernity.

Gauguin's fascination with the art of indigenous cultures is not merely an appreciation for their aesthetic but a deeper recognition of the universal truths they encapsulate. It serves as a call to action for artists to seek out the fundamental, the unadulterated, and the real, even in the midst of an increasingly complex world. Just as Gauguin was captivated by the depth and richness of barbaric art, we too are invited to broaden our horizons, to venture beyond the familiar, and to embrace the myriad expressions of humanity in all its vibrant hues.

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Draw inspiration from the words of wisdom by Paul Gauguin, plus our interpretation of its meaning, along with our own rendered portrait of Paul Gauguin. Now get busy on your own canvas!