約翰‧羅素（John Russell, 1745-1806）是英國十八世紀傑出的肖像畫家，曾為許多貴族名流創作肖像畫，並在1788年成為英國皇家藝術學院的院士（Royal Academician）。

【繫藍腰帶的淑女肖像】不僅充分反映出羅素自身肖像畫的風格，同時也是十八世紀英國結合人物與風景的典型肖像畫作品。畫中的女子優雅地坐在自然風景中，左手靠在身旁的石塊上，右手則拿著黃色的手套，彷彿正享受著此刻的愜意與輕鬆。她垂落在雙肩的暗褐色捲髮在畫家流暢的筆法下顯得自然蓬鬆，並襯托出平和的眼神、白裡透紅的雙頰和小巧鮮紅的雙唇；一襲白色的衣裙則彷彿烘托著其純潔無瑕的氣質。女子側頭的姿勢凸顯其白皙柔嫩的頸部線條，同時搭配胸前的V領領口、層層白紗褶邊所營造的上半身豐腴之感，以及藍綠腰帶所束出的腰身，更是展現其凹凸有致的苗條身形。畫面左側一隻嬌小可愛且混雜著白色與褐色毛髮的小狗，正踏著輕快的腳步來到女子身邊，同時抬起頭望著女子，更為畫面增添幾分隨性與悠閒。另一方面，女子左側草叢綻開的花朵則似乎與她的美貌相互呼應。遠方的天空雖漸漸被灰黑的天色和雲朵陰霾所籠罩，但仍透著夕陽溫暖且柔和的昏黃光線。此種結合黃昏天色的肖像畫類型是自十八世紀以來著名肖像畫大師─湯瑪斯‧根茲博羅（Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788）的典型特色，不但藉由自然景觀豐富畫面，也烘托出整體的浪漫氣氛。(徐鈺涵)

John Russell (1745–1806) was a remarkable 18th century British portrait artist. He often painted portraits for the nobility and celebrities of his time ,and went on to become a royal academician in the Royal College of Art in 1788.

Portrait of a Lady, Wearing a White Dress, Blue Sash not only reflects Russell’s style in portrait painting, but is also representative of typical 18th century British portrait painting which combines figures and landscapes. In this piece, a lady gracefully sits in a natural setting with her left hand leaning on a rock and her right holding yellow gloves. She appears to be enjoying the moment with a relaxing and carefree mood. The artist’s skillful use of the brush depicts her curly brown hair falling over her shoulders as light and feathery. The composition also draws attention to her peaceful eyes, rosy cheeks, and delicate scarlet lips. Her white dress, moreover, is suggestive of her innocence and purity. The way she inclines her head highlights her soft, porcelain-white neck. The V-shaped neckline, ample upper body shown by layers of lace, and her small waist tied with a blue sash further demonstrate her curvy and attractive body shape. On the left side of the canvas, a small and adorable dog in white and brown fur lightly walks toward her with its head raised, adding a carefree sense of leisure to the overall atmosphere of the composition. On the other side, flowers in full bloom in the underbrush to her left seem to echo her beauty. Although the sky afar shows signs of darkening and is covered by clouds, a warm ray of dim sunlight still pierces through as dusk sets in. This kind of portrait painting, which capitalizes on the timing of a sunset, is typical of the style of Thomas Gainsborough, a renowned 18th century portrait artist. The use of a sunset theme enriches the picture with a natural landscape while also helping to achieve a more romantic atmosphere in the overall painting. (Yu Han HSU)