Mrs Russell among the flowers in the garden of Goulphar, Belle-Île, John Peter Russell. Born in Australia, Russell was a friend of Van Gogh and Monet, and mentored Matisse at his home studio on Belle-Île in the 1890s. (His use of color was a major influence on Matisse, who up that point operated in a darker, more Flemish palette.) After his wife died of cancer in 1908, Russell destroyed hundreds of his paintings and sold his house on Belle-Île.