STURROCK, ALICK RIDDELL (1885-1953)
"Gathering Firewood" (c.1930)
oil on canvas laid on board
59.5 x 49.5cmsigned lower left
*likely exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy
*private collection, Sydney
Alick Sturrock RSA is a renowned Scottish Impressionist. After initially working at a lithographer's, he trained at Edinburgh College of Art and at the RSA schools, where he was awarded a scholarship which enabled him to travel to Europe. In 1911 he became a member of the Society of Scottish Artists and in 1912. In 1913, Alick along with his Art School colleagues, co-founded the influential Edinburgh Group, holding group exhibitions at Doig, Wilson and Wheatley’s gallery on George Street. The Group was dormant during World War I, but was revived in 1919 and subsequently held annual exhibitions until 1933.
He spent some time in London, where he admired Turner’s work. He was also able to venture out into the countryside. No sooner had Alick returned than war broke out and he joined the Royal Scots, rising to the rank of captain and being seriously wounded at Arras in 1917, after which he became involved in camouflage work. In 1918 he married Mary, the daughter of Fra Newbury, director of Glasgow School of Art, and together they settled at Gatehouse of Fleet. Mary was a close friend and confidant of legendary Scottish artist & architect, Charles Rennie MacIntosh and his wife Margaret.
After the War, Sturrock became a regular exhibitor in the Scottish Royal Academy, and was elected Associate Member in 1929. On his return to Edinburgh in 1934, Alick was elected to the Board of Management of Edinburgh college of Art. He was elected a full member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1937 and from 1938 to 1947 he was the Academy’s treasurer. Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours; Aberdeen Artists' Society; Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts; Liverpool. He took an active part in the Society of Scottish Artists and from 1946 to 1948 was President of the Scottish Arts Club. He died suddenly in 1953, whilst holidaying at St. Abbs.
Sturrock's landscapes, of Galloway and Dorset, are mostly in oil and depict farmland and buildings. His style was likely influenced by Paul and John Nash. His themes and colour range was limited: dark greens, greys, fawns and mauve predominating. The scope of his work is steeped in the tradition of Scottish landscape painting (in the wake of the important Glasgow Boys) at a time when Scottish art was at it's peak power and influence.
Sturrock's works are represented in major collections & institutions all over the UK, including the Royal Scottish Academy, Hunterian Art Gallery, Aberdeen Art Gallery & University of Edinburgh.