Breezy Day

G. Horne Russell

1861 - 1933

One of the most successful portrait artists of his time, Horne Russell also was passionate about painting Canadian landscapes. Born in Scotland, Russell studied first at the Aberdeen Art School and then at the South Kensington Art School in London where he developed a flair for portrait painting.

At 28, Russell moved to Montréal and quickly established himself as a portrait painter on this side of the Atlantic. Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier was among his subjects. His portraiture success allowed him to purchase a summer home in the New Brunswick resort town of St. Andrews by-the-Sea where he pursued his beloved landscapes.

In 1909, the Grand Trunk Railway commissioned Russell to paint the Canadian Rockies where he spent several months. Upon his return, he painted some large and impressive canvases of these “unpaintable mountains.” These portraits of the Rockies were much more than a commission; they contained Russell’s vision of a majestic new land, and he looked upon this period as critical to his development as a landscape artist.

In recognition of his stature, Russell was president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts from 1922 to 1926. His paintings hang in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Ontario Art Gallery in Toronto and in the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.

Breezy Day shows Russell’s fascination with seascapes. The waves, sails and clouds evoke the windy day. The French established Louisburg in the early 18th century as a massive fortress community, and its reconstruction is today a popular national historic site.