Adam's Important Irish Art September 26th 2018

86 75 ERSKINE NICOL RSA ARA (1825-1904) Awarding Prizes in a Village School Oil on canvas, 76 x 120cm (30 x 47¼’’) Exhibited: Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, 1848. A native to Scotland, Erskine Nicol first visited Ireland in 1846 and remained in the country for the following four years, drawing inspiration from scenes of rural life. Arriving in the early stages of the Great Famine, Nicol was to bear witness to the horror of a starving Ireland, however his works are tinted by a Victorian ideal and he instead chose to portray a poor, but largely jovial community. Such images appealed to Nicol’s clientele in Dublin and London and were greatly admired for their sympathetic rendition of a rustic Ireland. Awarding Prizes in a Village School , is a superb example not only of Nicol’s skill as an artist, but of his ability to translate a strong sense of humour through his work, something which we see across his oeuvre. With the introduction of a state-supported National School System in 1831, primary education was made more readily available to rural communities and it saw the establishment of thousands of schools across the country. At a time of social upheaval, such a subject matter would have seemed favourable to those loyal to the British government as it portrayed an educated and prosperous Ireland. Therefore, picking one such school as the backdrop for this work, Nicol conjured up a scene of childhood mischief that would not look out of place in today’s classroom. Whilst our eye is initially drawn to the centre of the painting and the act of the prize giving itself, we cannot help but be distracted by the antics of the children. Our interest is piqued as we strain to hear the secrets whispered to the boy second in line. A flurry of activity behind and through the open door illuminates a game of leap frog, whilst the light source to the left of the painting is comically obscured by a boy as he presses his face against the glass, inciting a retaliation from a child within. The slightly dishevelled building romantically mirrors the personality of its occupants and would have brought a charming portrayal of rural life to Dublin when exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1848. Although often considered as quite a satirical painter, Awarding Prizes in a Village School belies the genuine sympathy and affection of the artist towards his subject matter. In this painting, we do not see the boorish examples of the Irish race as depicted so often by British artists at the time, and, indeed, by Nicol himself. Instead, each model is formed with a tenderness that generates a genuine human interest and invites the viewer in as not only an observer but, perhaps, as a participant as well. Helena Carlyle, August 2018 € 25,000 - 35,000