The Mirror

The Mirror was completed in 1896 by Frank Dicksee during the Romanticism era in London and was one of his greatest works as an artist. Frank Dicksee was an English Victorian painter and illustrator.

He was best known for painting fashionable and beautiful women, as well as historical and legendary scenes. The Mirror depicted a woman covered in luxurious fabric and sitting on an elegant seat. The Mirror is in a private collection. The image is currently in the public domain work of art because the artist died in 1928. In many countries, including his country of origin, the copyright term is the author's life plus 80 years or fewer.

The painting was completed by hand using the oil on canvas method. This is a process of painting with pigments of drying oils as a binder. It gained popularity in Europe in the Middle Ages because of the advantages it came with. For example, an artist could use several different oils in the same painting, depending on specific pigments and effects desired. The technique involved first boiling the oil with raw resin to create a glossy varnish. It lasts longer, and it takes time to dry, meaning artists have more time to make changes to the paintings. Oil painting was originally used in Eastern cultures to make Buddhist art but would later find its way to Europe, where it would become more popular. Frank Dicksee spent all of his career capturing emotions in his art. His works often had facial expressions. These portraits were put in beautiful environments in order to produce art that was calming and enchanting.

Thomas Francis, his father, was one of the person he looked up to for artistic direction. He was a painter and taught Frank and his siblings how to make art at an early age. Frank become a well known name within his family, all thanks to his art. John Everett Millais Lord Leighton and had specific influences during the Aesthetic and Pre-Raphaelite and art movement, whereby they were able to appreciate the beauty in their art. Their works also influenced Frank. Other well-known paintings by Frank Dicksee include: Chivalry, Romeo, and Juliet, La Bella Dame Sans Merci, The Two Crowns, Passion, and Harmony. Currently, the Mirror is housed in Art Renewal Centre Museum.