Archibald Frank Nicoll (14 June 1886 – 1 February 1953) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

artist and art teacher. His interpretation of the Canterbury landscape made him a leader in what has become known as the 'Canterbury School'.

Early life and education

He was born in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

. He was the fifth of six children of Alexander Nicoll, a farmer, and his wife, Eliza Pannett. He attended

Springston Springston is a small rural Canterbury town in the South Island of New Zealand Springston was developed around the mid-19th century, beginning with the establishment of Spring Station by James E. FitzGerald, who farmed there from 1853 to 185 ...

School from 1891 to 1899. He was awarded a scholarship to attend

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven R ...

and attended the school from 1900 to 1902.

Career

After school he started working at the Union Steamship Company as a junior clerk. During this time he continued to draw and he enrolled in an evening class at the Canterbury College School of Art. In 1904 he became a member of the

Canterbury Society of Arts Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is administered by the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Charitable Trust. Quarte ...

and exhibited with them and the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the Ass ...

in 1905. In 1907 he resigned from the Union Steamship Company and was appointed to a teaching position at Elam School of Art and Design in Auckland. In 1911 he moved to Edinburgh. He started studying at the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

as a mature student in 1912. One year later he was offered a teaching position at the Edinburgh College of Art. While based in Edinburgh he won a number of prizes which allowed him to travel to Europe. In 1914 he moved back to New Zealand arriving in September. He exhibited at the Canterbury Society of Arts in September of that year and in October he also presented a one-man show with over 200 of his works. With the First World War escalating a call for New Zealand men to enlist was sent out. On 9 December 1914 he enlisted with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He fought in the

Second Battle of the Somme The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...

and was injured during the fighting. His injury resulted in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. He returned to Wellington in 1918 and took up a relief teaching position at the

Wellington Technical College , seal_image = , motto = Excellence in Learning , type = State secondary , established = 1886 , streetaddress = 249 Taranaki Street , city = Wellington , postcode = 6011 , country = New Zealand , ...

. In 1919 he was appointed the Director of the

Canterbury College School of Art The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam ...

. He regularly exhibited with art societies beyond Christchurch and 1930 he exhibited for a second time at the Royal Academy, London. He resigned as director of Canterbury College School of Art to paint full-time in 1928. Without the responsibilities of teaching he painted a lot of portraits during this time. With the birth of his son in 1933 he decided to return to teaching and rejoined the staff of the Canterbury College School of Art in 1934. He remained there until his retirement in 1945. In the 1947 King's Birthday Honours, Nicoll was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to art.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, Archibald Frank 1886 births 1953 deaths New Zealand art teachers New Zealand artists New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Lincoln, New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School New Zealand military personnel of World War I