Standing male nude - an académie

The present oil seemingly a very rare survival from Russell's years of apprenticeship in Cormon's studio in Paris in 1885-87. Although Cormon had made his name as a colourist and follower of Delacroix, by the time Russell joined his studio, his work and teaching had shifted to the classical and the academic, with the emphasis heavily on drawing from the nude (the académie), and Toulouse-Lautrec installed as head student. The bright palette here suggests this may be a work from 1886-87, when his fellow students, in particular Anquetin, and van Gogh (at the studio in early 1886), had encouraged the primacy of colour, as Russell wrote to Roberts in December 1887: 'I have been for the last two years chasing colour, been floored again and again ... simple colour but strong ... cadmium deep, cadmium pale, chinese vermilion, white, garance foncé, cobalt, ultramarine, vert eméraud and paolo veronese.' (quoted in A. Galbally, The Art of John Peter Russell, Melbourne, 1977, p.70)