Paul Mitchell | The Frame Blog

Framing Impressionism

London Art Week is a festival – a sort of Glastonbury – of fine arts and antiques, which happens every year at the beginning of July, when auction houses, commercial galleries and some public museums around the city mount special exhibitions. You can go physically on an art crawl encompassing all sorts and styles of object, and also watch and listen to talks and discussions online. There are further events and talks which you can attend in the spring and autumn and which are usually filmed, to be added to LAW’s increasing virtual library.

One of these discussions took place online in April this year as part of Art History in Focus: Spring 2024, and the video of the event, ‘Framing Impressionism’, is added below. It was moderated by Matthew Reeves, brilliant arbitrator and very articulate director of Sam Fogg, a gallery specializing in the art of the European Middle Ages; the others taking part were Paul and Mark Mitchell, of Paul Mitchell Ltd, Antique and handmade replica frames, and Lynn Roberts, The Frame Blog.

The areas discussed include the frames required on paintings submitted to the Paris Salons in the 19^th century; the innovations in framing brought in by the Pre-Raphaelites and others in mid-century London; and how these affected the Impressionists at the beginning of their careers – along with the influence of recent scientific theories of light and colour.

Dealers’ frames and the designs used later on by the artists are also touched on, as well as the problems encountered by modern museums seeking to frame their Impressionist paintings in the light, both of the artists’ original intentions, and the need to integrate a hang of pictures today.

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