Rough sea, Belle-Île
1900

• John RUSSELL

John Russell’s Rough sea, Belle-Ile, 1900, came into the collection in 2004.
The painting came in to the NGV in a c.1970's painted cassetta style frame (in lilac, silverleaf and gold leaf) with linen slip and gilded sight edge.
The decision to reframe the painting came in preparation for the exhibition, Australian Impressionists in France in 2013.
A prototype for reframing the painting appears on Russell's 'Mrs Russell parmi les fleurs au jardin de Goulphar, Belle-Ile‘, 1907 (Musee de Morlaix, France), a similar date to the NGV work by Russell. The use of the architrave moulding is reflective of both the homemade, make-shift approach to framing of this period, and the practical skills Russell had developed as a house-builder and boat-builder.
The prototype frame profile drawing was made directly during a visit to the Musee de Morlaix in France.
The moulding was machined in Melbourne from jelutong timber.
The white finish of the frame was based an original frame on Theo van Rysselberghe’s ‘Le the au jardin’ from the Musee d’Ixelles, Brussels.
The white surface appeared to be very matte and chalky with no noticeable surface texture, an almost egg-shell finish.
Several test boards were made up with different paint mediums (oil, gesso, acrylic) and tones of white. From these a finish using casein glue was chosen.
The frame was given a light coat of wax to protect the surface and fitted to the painting in 2013.
The painting was cleaned, strip lined and re-stretched in 2013.

Painted timber (jelutong) and casein paint.