In the morning, Alpes Maritimes from Antibes

Australian painter John Russell created this bright coastal view in 1891, gazing out from Antibes toward the Alpes Maritimes on the French Riviera. Living in Europe for much of his career, Russell fell in love with the Mediterranean light, and it shows here in the soft haze that wraps the distant mountains. He kept good company too, counting Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet among his friends, and their influence turns up in his quick, broken brushstrokes and his taste for pure, glowing color.

The foreground practically hums with flowering shrubs and golden grass, built up from countless small dabs of paint that catch the morning sun. From there the eye wanders across the cool blue sea to those faint purple peaks, and the whole scene settles into a feeling of quiet and open space. Russell wasn't chasing exact detail. His aim was to hold onto the warmth of an early morning by the coast, the sort of fleeting moment that fades fast but stays with you.

For years Russell's name slipped out of view, but he is now counted among Australia's finest Impressionists. Paintings like this one explain the renewed interest, showing off the sensitivity to light and atmosphere that keeps drawing people back to his work.