The pen-and-ink sketch of a street fight was drawn by George Russell and it is in striking contrast to the Symbolist-style work for which he is best-known. The picture dates from Russell's time at the Rathmines School of Art (1882-1884) or immediately afterwards, and it is one of 25 such sketches on show in an exhibition opening today at the Molesworth Gallery in Dublin.
There is an element of the caricature about these early examples of his art, probably because Russell was still a teenager when they were executed. Theo Snoddy's Dictionary of 20th Century Irish Artists quotes a fellow student describing similar pictures from his hand at this time as having "a touch of humour or good-natured satire about them."
The examples in the Molesworth Gallery come from the family of another contemporary of the artist at the Rathmines school. However, there are many other works on paper in the same exhibition, including watercolours by Mildred Anne Butler; Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford; Rose Barton and Jack B. Yeats. The show is open to the public until Thursday, November 18th.
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