John Russell / Australia/France 1858–1930 / Coraux des Alpes (The route du Littoral on the West side of Cap d’Antibes, looking towards Nice, the Baie des Anges and the Alps) c.1890s / Oil on canvas / 59 x 59.2cm / Purchased 1968 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

John Russell
Coraux des Alpes (The route du Littoral on the West side of Cap d’Antibes, looking towards Nice, the Baie des Anges and the Alps) c.1890

On Display: QAG, Gallery 7

John Russell’s seascapes, portraying the alternately stormy and calm aspects, are characteristically Impressionist in technique, high-keyed and preoccupied with light, colour and a sketch-like facture. The heavily textured paintings are worked in pure colour. The pure strokes of complementary colours, placed one beside the other, resonate and convey an effect of immediacy. The result is an impression of nature at a particular moment.

Sydney-born John Russell was destined to join his family’s engineering firm, but at 18 he became preoccupied by art. Having gained financial independence on the death of his father, Russell travelled to London in 1881 to study painting. In 1885, as a student in Paris, he worked with and befriended several important European artists, including Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Auguste Rodin and Vincent Van Gogh.

A year later, Russell and his wife settled on Belle-Île, an island off the coast of Brittany, where he built a house in which he hosted many artist friends. Here, Russell also met and developed a close friendship with artist Claude Monet, who played a significant part in his artistic development. Side-by-side, the pair painted numerous landscapes of the dramatic coastline.

Following his wife’s death in 1908, Russell destroyed many of his works and left Belle-Île to travel extensively in Europe, painting mainly watercolours. Russell returned to Australia in 1921, where he painted very little until his death.

Discussion Questions

1. If you could capture a particular place at a particular time in an artwork, what place would this be, what season and what time of day? Justify your choice.

2. Compare this artwork with to Russell’s Roc Toul (Roche Guibel) (Toul Rock (Guibel Rock)) 1904–1905. Consider what colours the artist has used to portray the weather and how that contributes to the overall mood of the piece.

Activities

Think of the colours and textures characteristic of a place that is important to you. Find images and photos representing these colours and textures, and use these to create a collage of your chosen place at a particular time.