La Culture: 3 Picks Off the Beaten Track

Thank you so much for that Michael! What an interesting article by Sarah Turnbull. That portrait of Van Gogh by Russell is striking... the eyes! Thanks again for posting this, it's always so exciting to keep learning and discovering. Russell's work is breathtaking.

FYI, an obscure member of the Belle-Ile scene was Australia's "lost impressionist" John (Peter) Russell. In fact his works can be seen in Musée Orsay, Musée Rodin and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam which has his portrait, the first, of a young VG from when they worked at the Fernand Cormon workshop-studio, along with Emile Bernard and Toulouse-Lautrec. The connection with Rodin is that his muse and model, Marianna Mattiocco became Russell's wife and they moved in 1888 to Belle-Ile. Russell was obsessed with its Côte Sauvage which he painted endlessly. Wiki says: "Russell had met Vincent van Gogh in Paris and formed a close friendship with him.[9] The two artists particularly bonded over being foreigners in the Parisian avant-garde scene.[10] Van Gogh spoke highly of Russell's work, and after his first summer in Arles in 1888 he sent twelve drawings of his paintings to Russell, to inform him about the progress of his work. Claude Monet often worked with Russell at Belle Île and influenced his style, though it has been said that Monet preferred some of Russell's Belle Île seascapes to his own. In 1890, Russell left Belle Île and traveled to Antibes in a horse-drawn cart, where he rented a house for the winter and produced some of his most acclaimed work.[6] Due to his substantial private income Russell did not attempt to make his pictures well known. In the 1880s and 1890s, Russell hewed closely to pure French impressionist style.[10]" The little known painter has been subject of an exhibition in Sydney last year and has been studied by Sarah Turnbull (she of Almost French fame) for an upcoming biog I believe; here is a newspaper article: https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/john-russell-van-gogh-s-little-known-aussie-impressionist-mate-20180710-p4zqkq.html John Russell: Van Gogh's little-known Aussie Impressionist mate John Russell was friends with art giants Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Rodin and Claude Monet, who celebrated his work. Now the Sydney-born painter's work is taking centre stage. By Sarah Turnbull, 14 July 2018