On a recent visit to Althorp two modern portraits by Mitch Griffiths stood out amongst the classical portraits that adorn the walls in many of the rooms.

Mitch Griffiths uses a traditional, almost forgotten style of painting, inspired by the light and composition of Old Master paintings, but he uses this style to depict the issues concerning 21st-century British society. His main subject is the transient and throwaway nature of contemporary culture, which is held in stark contrast to the permanence and indelibility of oil paint on canvas.

In the October 31, 2012 edition of Country Life, Earl Spencer discusses a few of his favorite things in Althorp and has this to say about the paintings shown above:

I think it is important to keep a collection fresh and alive.  All the portraits at the top of the stairs are 20th-century, with ones by Orphen, Nicholsen and Sargent.  Two works I have bought for the house adhere to the methods of the Old Masters, yet both tackle modern themes.  Britannia (left) explores consumerism, the media and fame and Rehab (far left) is a portrayal of a man in torment, surrounded by symbols of anguish – alchohol, tobacco, drugs and even the curled page of a tabloid newspaper.

The full article can be read here and the paintings can be viewed in more detail on the artist’s website:

• Britannia

• Rehab