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Peter Smith

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I was watching yet another programme about the Impressionists and one thing struck me that I hadn't thought of before. They were finishing off paintings on the day before they had to be delivered to the Paris Salon, or even on the same morning, using oil paint of course. They must have been wet and stayed wet all through the exhibition. As they had to be framed presumably the were framed while the paint as wet. Surely no exhibition today would accept a wet painting? It seems a remarkable way of doing things. Was it just considered normal in the 1870's?

Norrette Moore

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I think they used to have "varnishing" day at the RA as far back as Turner's time. I'm presuming they kept away from the frame edge?
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Varnishing days were quite the thing , it have the artist a chance to make any changes before it was declared finished. I have to admit I have never heard of the practice of displaying wet painting , I recently completed an art history course and don’t recall any mention of the practice, mind you I did concentrate on watercolour. It surprising as the time it would take for a painting to be taken from one small town to a city for example would make transportation a major problem, definitely something I would not consider doing. No there a painting for you a Peter transporting a painting by train in one of those small carriages they had , can imagine the comments, mind my artwork madam , silly man bring a wet painting it ruined my skirt I have you know . Sorry I digress. 
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Peter Smith

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I'll have to watch again see see if I've got it wrong but I'm sure that's what it said.  Apart from anything else you can't varnish a picture until it was totally dry. Didn't Turner add a red buoy in the sea to one of his pictures right at the very last minute after it was already on the wall in order to outshine a Constable?

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Alan Bickley

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He did indeed Peter, that was the infamous story anyway. Apparently, on seeing what Turner had done, Constable reportedly exclaimed, "He has been here and fired a gun".  Great rivalry never to be unsurpassed! Re varnishing day, I don’t believe that the paintings were wet, but just offered an opportunity for final touches…perhaps paint and varnish - and to view the works prior to the exhibition being opened to the public…
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Alan that’s what I understand varnishing day to be and it’s alluded to in many biographical accounts and historical texts as well . The opportunity to make small final changes before the public were able to view the painting and as said a coat of varnish could be added. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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The Impressionists, on the whole, didn't varnish their paintings; so they would have been surface dry at least when exhibited if their latest work was shown.  (Their surviving work may well be varnished now, or put behind glass, by galleries and  conservators.)  I doubt that  they were ever hung wet - their use of Flake White would have helped  their paintings to dry much more quickly - in relative terms - than could be achieved today by using Titanium.    There are all sorts of obvious risks in hanging wet paintings, especially in the days when gallery visitors would have been likely to be puffing on cigars and pipes; the advent of the slow-drying cadmiums and chromes must have complicated things a bit. That reminds me - I'm out of varnish....

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