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George Russell Æ (1867-1935)
Children at Slieve League, Co. Donegal
Oil on canvas, 61 x 76cm (24 x 30”)
Signed with monogram
Provenance:The property of Barbara Morley Horder and by descent to Mrs. J. Fisher; who sold it at Taylor
de Veres, Dublin, 12th October 1993, Lot No. 159, where purchased by J.P. Reihill Deepwell,
Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Exhibited: ‘’Ireland: Her People and Landscape’’The AVA Gallery, June - Sept 2012, Cat. No. 47
Literature: ‘’Ireland: Her People and Landscape’’ Exhibition Catalogue, full page illustration p54
This painting is mentioned in the autobiography of Barbara Morley Horder :- “We went to a won-
derful tea party at AE’s in Dublin - this was his lovely broken down house in Merrion Square .... I
have a painting by him of the Donegal coast which lights up mysteriously when the sun shines on it “
George Russell grew up in Lurgan, Co. Armagh but moved to Dublin at the age of 11. He is known
not only for his paintings but as a writer, poet, critic, theosophist and economist, and by his pseudo-
nym Æ (a derivative of the word Aeon). He began night time painting classes at the Metropolitan
School of Art just two years after moving to Dublin, and went on to receive academic training at the
RHA. AE supported Hugh Lane’s campaign for the gallery of modern art and was active in the Irish
Literary Revival. He exhibited abroad at the 1913 Armory Show in New York and at the Whitechapel
in London, and created a large scale series of murals at 3 Upper Ely Place in Dublin which has been
compared to the work of Goya. His paintings can be found in the collection of the Ulster Museum,
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin City Gallery,The Hugh Lane, OPW, Trinity College Dublin and
the Crawford Gallery. George Russell’s landscapes are based on a close harmonious relationship be-
tween humanity and nature. Steeped in symbolism and theosophy, Russell believed in the connection
between outward sensations and inner responses.
His
Children at Slieve League, Co. Donegal
, shows two figures embracing with a vista of sand and
mountains extending behind them. Subtle exaggerations of light and colour such as the patches of in-
tense blue in the cliffs and rocky found create a pulsating vision of the Donegal landscape - a location
for which the artist had particular fondness. Unlike the Henrys, Russell holidayed in the west rather
than living there long term. His visits to Donegal were particularly productive and their regenerative
power is reflected in the work that he made there.
Our thanks to Dr. Róisín Kennedy
on whose writings much of this note is based
€6,000 - 10,000
