Australia’s Lost Impressionist | John Russell
“John Russell documentary proves a rare gem in Australian TV.”
“Tucked away on ABC last night was a joy — Australia’s Lost Impressionist, a doco on the almost unknown Australian painter John Russell who knew and influenced many of the world’s best known Impressionists, including van Gogh and Matisse.”
Glenn Dyer, Crikey
Australia’s Lost Impressionist – John Russell tells the fascinating story behind the only Australian artist at the centre of the Impressionist movement in France and how his famous friendships forever changed the way the world sees colour.
“Russell, of course, is doing something totally different … What absolutely bowled Matisse over was the luminosity of his paintings, the amount of light that Russell was able to convey…” - Hilary Spurling, Matisse biographer
John Russell (1858-1930) painted in France alongside Claude Monet, he mentored Henri Matisse and was a close friend of Vincent van Gogh. Russell exhibited at the 1905 Salon d’Automne in Paris and his work entered the Louvre collection in 1949. Russell’s portrait of Van Gogh was purchased by the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam in 1938 and is documented as Van Gogh’s favourite.
The Needles, Belle-Île,, Brittany
Aired nationally on ABC1 , October 30, 2018
Australia’s Lost Impressionist - John Russell | © 2018 Catherine Hunter Productions
In 2017, director Catherine Hunter, cameraman Bruce Inglis and Head of Australian Art from the AGNSW Wayne Tunnicliffe travelled to Belle-Île, the charming windswept island off Brittany where Russell lived for 20 years. This island is virtually unchanged since the 1800s. The beguiling coastline of Belle-Île was a continual source of inspiration for Russell and his contemporaries.
The documentary explores Russell’s intriguing life through the eyes of a new generation of Australian painters as they discover Russell for themselves. Highly respected contemporary artists Luke Sciberras and Euan Macleod travelled with Catherine Hunter to Belle-Île and their impressions and inspired work feature in the film.
Russell was handsome, wealthy, debonair and being Australian, quite exotic in 19th Century France. Yet despite his own artistic accomplishments and his pivotal role in the development of modern art, his name and his art have been largely unrecognised outside rarefied art circles. With the benefit of the 2018 retrospective at the Art Gallery Of New South Wales, (the most comprehensive exhibition of Russell’s work in 40 years), Australia’s Lost Impressionist – John Russell explores Russell’s enormous legacy on 20th century art through his paintings and his friendships.
Actor Hugo Weaving features as the voice of John Russell who was a prolific letter writer especially to fellow artists Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Rodin and Tom Roberts. The intimate correspondence between Russell and his fellow artists is captivating and at times heart-breaking.
John Russell, Morning, Cruach en Mahr, Belle-Île-en-Mer c1905, Private Collection
Narrator/Hugo Weaving, Director & writer/Catherine Hunter, Cinematographer & editor/ Bruce Inglis, Producers/Catherine Hunter and Erica Drew, Script editor/John Muldrew, Composer/David Bridie (winner of the APRA Best Music for a documentary 2019)
Australia’s Lost Impressionist - John Russell was developed and financed with the assistance of Create NSW and produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Additional support was received from the Margaret Olley Art Trust, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and philanthropic support through the Documentary Australia Foundation. The Producer acknowledges the support of Screen Australia through the Producer Equity Program.
John Russell, In the Afternoon, 1891. Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
John Russell, The red sail, Port-Goulphar c1900, Musée d’Orsay, Paris
John Russell, The Needles, winter sun, Belle-Île 1903, The Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art, Perth
John Russell, In the morning, Alpes Maritimes from Antibes 1890-91, National Gallery of Australia
© Catherine Hunter Productions 2024