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John Wentworth Russell
Cafe Society: The Smoker, male portait Closerie des Lilas, Lost Generation Paris

1923

About the Item

A strong portrait, and a piece of history. It was confidently sketched in 1923, during the heyday of the "Lost Generation" in Paris, at the Closerie des Lilas - Ernest Hemingway's favourite haunt and home-from-home in the City. This historical café is where Hemingway first read The Great Gatsby with his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald and where he wrote most of The Sun Also Rises. Our portait of a smoker is by John Wentworth Russell, a Canadian who had studied at the New York Art Students League before moving to Paris for a first time. His love affair with France continued and he would spent over twenty years in the City of Light. Our powerful drawing - sometime is quickest, almost frenetically sketched works are the best - is a beautiful testimony to a time long gone. The size of the drawing visible under the mount is 20 x 13 cm. It is signed, dated and annotated "Café Lilas" at the lower right.
  • Creator:
    John Wentworth Russell (1879 - 1959, Canadian)
  • Creation Year:
    1923
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11.62 in (29.5 cm)Width: 9.06 in (23 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    laid down on backing board, cuts and tears to the surface.
  • Gallery Location:
    Norwich, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU991313965912

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