George William Russell (AE) (1867-1935) Children in the Woods

Lot description

George William Russell (AE) (1867-1935) Children in the Woods oil on canvas signed with monogram lower right h:41  w:53.50 cm. Provenance: De Veres, Dublin, 16th June 2015 Lot 12; Private Collection In sun-dappled woodland, three figures gather fallen branches of trees, to make a fire. Wearing an orange dress, the girl on the left leans backwards as she pulls a large branch from the undergrowth. She is helped by another child, while an older woman, in a long blue dress, holds a bunch of kindling in her arms. The figures are not depicted in detail; their faces are light dabs of paint, as are limbs and clothing, and yet the artist nevertheless manages to convey a sense of companionship and elegiac enjoyment of a summer's day. The three figures stand in deep shade in the woods; behind them is a glade, brightly illuminated by sunshine. Above, the dense foliage of the trees is depicted in dabs of yellow, green and ivory, against a dark background. To the right of the figures, the trunk of a large tree is partially lit by sunshine. In creating his own style of painting, George Russell, also known as "AE", borrowed from both the Symbolist and Impressionist movements. While his application of oil paint in small brush strokes, creates a visual sensation akin to that of Monet's Impressionist canvases, in terms of atmosphere and colour his paintings are more redolent of Symbolist painters such as Gustave Moreau. As with Moreau, Russell strove to evoke an autumnal world, using ochres and amber tints, enlivened with flashes of bright colour. The theme, gathering firewood, also hints at the passing of summer. Peter Murray, October 2020