From pictures and drawings of Æ Russell that I’ve studied, his physical appearance in early years was that of a small and thin boy with a nice appearance. In his more mature years, Æ Russell grew to be a fairly tall, well proportioned but also heavy built man. Most of his life he wore a beard and in my view he looked somewhat imposing. But Æ Russell also had a “loud voice” and didn’t mind speaking his thoughts. Although he was born in Northern Ireland, he became one of the most powerful voices in the entire country during his time and especially during the troublesome years of 1913 to 1923.
As a family man not much is know about Æ Russell. At the age of 31 (1898) he married an Englishwoman by the name of Violet North. Not much is written about Mrs. George Russell but there are indications that she was a gifted artist herself. Æ Russell met her while living in the same house, a household of theosophists, in 3 Upper Ely Place. Raising two sons (surviving, Æ and Violet Russell had yet another son and a daughter, whom both died very young), the marriage was seen as a fortunate one because they both had the same dreams and beliefs. But some tell stories that Æ was unhappy in his marriage, because he had never believed in love and marriage because it was not consistent with his faith in theosophy. But despite this, they stayed married until Violet Russell passed away in 1931 at the age of 64, leaving behind Æ and two sons; Brian and Diarmuid Russell.
It might have been that Æ Russell’s skills didn’t lay in domestic-work, but he was still a great artist. But above all, Æ Russell was a versatile man and could have become great in any of his several areas. He was a poet, playwriter, journalist, editor and critic. His first journal, The Irish Theosophist, was published in 1892 and in 1894 he published his first volume of poems; Homeward, songs by the way. As described before already, his first and only play Deirdre was published in 1901 and performed for the first time in 1902, with Æ Russell as the stunning Naisi. Throughout the years up to his death, Æ Russell published more volumes of poems, political pamphlets and journals, including The Irish Homestead (later the new Irish Statesman) & Michael (a 12-page poem, inspired by the Easter Rising).
There are many funny stories about Æ Russell and his friendship with W.B. Yeats. They were friends from the time they meet in art school even though they didn’t approve of each other’s methods. There is one story in particular, true or not, that tells about Æ Russell in 1920’s leaving his office in No.84 Merrion Square to go over to visit W.B Yeats who at that time was a senator and living just two doors down, in No. 82. At the same time W.B. Yeats was thinking of doing the same and subsequently they passed each other on the street in front of No. 83. However, the story goes that they both missed each other, Æ Russell with his head down and W.B. Yeats with his head up observing something in the sky.
But in 1935, the brilliant life of George Æ Russell comes to an end. After being rushed back to England from the U.S. for a surgical operation on his abdomen, he dies in a nursing home in Bournemouth, England, soon after 11pm on the 17th of July. His body was then taken back to Ireland by boat and finally laid to rest in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, on the 20th of July 1935. The day after his death, the entire front-page of The Irish Times was devoted to Æ Russell.
Æ Russell lived to be 68 years of age but the memory of him and his works lives on forever.
GEORGE “Æ” RUSSELL, THE PAINTER
Æ Russell’s earliest ambition was to become a painter. Enrolled in art schools he found it to be interesting but had difficulties understanding the method of teaching. A quote from Æ himself best describes this:
“When I was a student there (Royal Hibernian Academy) I painted from life. There were four visitors who were academicians. One visitor, Mr. Duffy, was an excellent landscape painter and I have a great admiration for his work. Another visitor was Mr. Grey, who painted bulls and cows; the third was Mr. William Osborne who painted cats and dogs, and the fourth was Sir Thomas Farrell who did not paint at all. These gentlemen, not one whom painted figures, were put there to assist us in our work. They never put their fingers on the students’ work, which was probably the best thing they could have done under the circumstances.” (Denson, A., p.213f)
There are also other factors that explain why Æ Russell never got the fame that he was entitled to. Not only was he occupied with writing and taking interest in Irish politics, he also regarded painting as a minor activity of his life and only worked at it, as a rule, on Sunday mornings and during his annual month’s holiday in Donegal. But nevertheless, he still managed to produce a lot of paintings. It is said that from his holidays he usually came home every year with more than 30 pictures.
Another thing that made it harder for Æ Russell to paint was the notion of the object. Although being famous for painting great landscape and portrait sketches, the most characteristic paintings were of dream landscapes, covered in mist or twilight, in which mystical figures danced. Even W.B. Yeats commented on this saying “He did not paint the model....for some other image rose always before his eyes.” Or maybe it is better explained with Æ Russell’s own words, taken from a letter to a friend:
“What I want to do is to paint landscape as if it had no other existence than as the imagination of the Divine Mind, to paint man as if his life overflowed into that imagination, and to paint the Sidhe as mingling with his life; indeed the unity of God and man and nature into one single being - an almost impossible idea to convey into paint.”
But before we dismiss Æ Russell’s painting as spontaneous dabbling of an amateur, there are a few things left to consider. Sure, he will probably always be far more famous as a poet than as a painter, but there is still something in his paintings that in my amateur subjective view classifies him as a genius. For the remains of this paper, I will try to show you just why it is I think this.
THE PAINTINGS OF GEORGE “Æ” RUSSELL
As I have mentioned before, I went to the Oriel Gallery on Clare Street, where I had been told I could find actual paintings of George Æ Russell. My research showed that most of his existing paintings were owned by private collectors and I was therefor dreading not being able to see them “live” as the work on this paper progressed. It is also well known that Æ Russell didn’t varnish his paintings and consequently many of the ones found in later years has been in poor condition, some even in need for restoration.
Another fact that should be mentioned is that Æ Russell didn’t title his works himself. The titles that I will be referring to are named by Oliver Nulty of the Oriel Gallery, who has studied Æ Russell and his works and thereafter named most of them after Æ Russell’s prose and poems.
As I have studied 28 of Æ Russell’s paintings, 4 of them “live” (in person), it is quite clear to me that his use of color and great gift for composition blends in really well with the mystical and sometimes imaginary objects and surroundings. As many of them walk the thin line between what is “real” and what might seem to be something “out-of-this-world”, there is also pictures that plainly shows life in seaside Donegal or Sligo, something we all find easier to relate to. But it is up to the viewer to distinguish what is “real” and what is not.
Most of the time there is a clear part of the painting that can be judged as “real” but in contrast to another part which is more lightly painted, with shadow figures, fairies and Sidhes. Æ Russell used really subtle colors, maybe just for setting the ambiance but since this more seems to be a reoccurring way of painting, I have to look at it as one of his “trademarks”. Another “trademark” is that while many of his paintings use children or women (or what might be seen as they were women), not many of them show distinct faces. This really adds to the feeling that the object is something mystical or almost invisible, a creature from “another world”. Perfect examples of this are “Neptunes Daughters” and “A Vision in the Glade” which can be seen in the end of this document. There are many more examples but I choose only to show these since they really show the essence of his technique.
Only in a few of the paintings I’ve studied did Æ Russell use more male-like characters, as in the case of “Trailing Clouds of Glory”. And although Æ Russell used many different kinds of techniques such as chalk or pastels, it is his oil paintings that has brought him fame and they clearly show his excellence in my view. This is particular since Æ Russell gave up painting all together and for a period of about 20 years didn’t draw any oil paintings at all. Another important exemption from this “rule” that needs to be mentioned is the portrait of W.B. Yeats, which was drawn in chalk and inscribed and dated in 1897.
But my admiration goes out to George Æ Russell for trying to give us a glimpse of that “other world”, a world that most of us don’t even think exist or some even are afraid of. But whether you believe in it or not, Æ Russell used his coloring techniques to show something he believed in and the result came out in beautiful works of art. My favorites are the mentioned before “Neptunes Daughters”, “A Vision in the Glade” and also “Neptunes Angels”. I especially like “Neptunes Daughters” which I feel has a remarkable coloring of the ocean, sky and characters, with the mystical touch taking over the “human”. As of today, that favorite of mine goes for about IR£ 8.500 but that in my view is a small price for such a work of excellence. It is also a part of Irish culture as it was 100 years ago; and still is…..
- “Neptunes Daughters” (Original size: 16” x 21 “) 2. “A Vision in the Glade” (15½” x 21”)
3. “Trailing Clouds of Glory” (18½” x 24”) 4. “Neptunes Angels” (21” x 32”)
5. “The Young W.B. Inscribed and Dated 1897” (17” x 14”)
REFERENCES:
Main Publications:
Davis, R.B., 1977, George William Russell (“AE”). George Prior Publishers, London, England.
Denson, A., 1961, George W. Russell (Æ) – A Bibliography. Northwestern University Press, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Kain, R.M. & O’Brien, J.H., 1976, George Russell (Æ). Bucknell University Press, Lewisburg, U.S.A.
Other publications:
Nulty, O., 1989, George Russell – Æ ……at The Oriel’s, 21st Anniversary. The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, Ireland.
Smythe, C., 1988, The Descent of the Gods – The mystical writings of G. W. Russell – Æ.