John Russell

18th century Portrait of a young girl, Miss Cator in a landscape, white dress

circa 1780

Russell was born in Guildford, Surrey in 1745, his father John Snr was four times the mayor of the town and an artist himself. The young John Russell trained under Francis Cotes RA who was one of the pioneers of English pastel painting. Both he and Cotes were admirers of the celebrated Italian pastel artist Rosalba Carriera, her methods significantly influenced his technique of "sweetening". At 19 and much to the protests of his family teacher he converted to Methodism. In 1767 he set up his studio in London when he met the notorious Dr. William Dodd, whose portrait he painted in 1768. At this time he had met the Countess of Huntingdon along with many other members of the nobility. In 1770 he married Hannah Faden and moved to Cavendish Square London. he travelled extensively painting around Britain, in 1770 he entered The Royal Academy of Art and won the the gold medal the same year, he also exhibited at The Society of Artists, he exhibited around 330 works at the Academy between 1769 until his death. In 1788 he painted a number of important commissions that led to him being appointed as pastel painter to King George III, he also painted Queen Charlotte, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. By this time Russell had developed an extensive fashionable influential clientele. Russell was a deeply religious man and shunned the dinner circuit of London high society, due to concerns of being exposed to blasphemous conversation. He was however on good terms with Sir Joshua Reynolds with whom he dined with at the Academy, the Dilettanti Society and the Literary Club. Russell's work can be viewed at many of the prominent galleries in the UK and around the world including the National Portrait Gallery London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York but the largest collection is held by Guildford House Art Gallery in Guildford. Many of his portraits were engraved by, amongst others, Joseph Collyer, Charles Turner, James Heath, Dean, Bartolozzi and Trotter. Russell was troubled by ill-health he had contracted cholera and died of typhus in the city of Hull in 1806. John Russell is recognized as one of the greatest pastel painters.