Helen Galloway McNicoll (December 14, 1879 – June 27, 1915) was a Canadians impressionist painter.
Biography
Early life
McNicoll was born in
Toronto, but raised in
Montreal to an affluent family. Her parents were David McNicoll and Emily Pashley who were British immigrants. McNicoll had six siblings—three sisters and three brothers—with letters and sketches indicating that the McNicoll family was very close. McNicoll’s parents were members of Montreal’s Anglophone Protestant elite. Her father David worked in the railway industry in Scotland and England, allowing Helen to come into close contact with prominent families during the boom in
Industrialism. McNicoll, with the financial support of her family through connections with renowned art collectors, was able to devote her time to painting. McNicoll's first exposure to art presumably came from observing her parents—her father did sketches during his railway travels, while her mother painted china and wrote poetry.
Despite the advantages, McNicoll developed severe hearing loss at the age of two due to scarlet fever. McNicoll navigated the social side of the art world through lip reading and assistance from friends and family. In 1899, she participated in activities at the Mackay Institution for Protestant Deaf Mutes; however, she was not listed in official school records and was not listed as deaf in the 1901 census due to misunderstandings of deaf culture in North America at this time.
Education and career
McNicoll was raised in
Montreal, where she began her formal art training at the Art Association of Montreal under the direction of
William Brymner.
In 1899 she received a scholarship from the Association for her drawing of plaster casts.
From 1902 to 1904 McNicoll moved to London to study at the Slade School of Fine Art with Philip Wilson Steer; she may have met her lifelong friend Dorothea Sharp at this time. At the school, students were encouraged to paint with a naturalistic approach using en plein air.
McNicoll then began her formal art education at the Art Association of Montreal (AAM) in 1906,
In time, her art showed a mastery of the Impressionist style, seen in her ability to render light – even in the shadows – her simple compositions, and the poetry of her subject matter. She made her debut exhibiting six paintings at annual exhibition at the AAM; she also exhibited with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Ontario Society of Artists from 1906 to 1914.
McNicoll maintained a studio in London while she traveled around Europe from 1908 up until her death.
World War I
McNicoll and
Dorothea Sharp were working in France when the first World War broke out. McNicoll had written to her father saying that they "would rather be here than anywhere"; however, due to McNicoll's ties to the Canadian Pacific Railway through her father, she was sent home.
Personal life
While studying at the Slade School, McNicoll met British painter
Dorothea Sharp with whom she formed a lifelong bond, nicknaming each other "Nellie" and "Dolly".
The two women traveled together, shared studio spaces, and posed for each other's paintings. In McNicoll's case, having a companion was especially helpful due to obstacles she must have faced due to her hearing loss. McNicoll relied on Sharp's skills in negotiating with models—specifically children. In
The Chintz Sofa by McNicoll, Sharp is depicted in their shared London studio.
Death and legacy
McNicoll died in
Swanage,
Dorset, at the early age of thirty-five due to complications from diabetes in 1915. An obituary described her as "one of the most profoundly original and technically accomplished of Canadian artists."
McNicoll had contributed more than 70 works to exhibitions in both Canada and Britain. Her work would continue to be praised into the 1920s, with the Art Association of Montreal organizing a memorial exhibition of 150 of her paintings celebrating her prolific career, titled
Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by the Late Helen G. McNicoll, RBA, ARCA, November 7 – December 6, 1925.
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) hosted an exhibition of McNicoll's work in 1999.
In 2021, the Art Gallery of Ontario exhibited a show titled
The Open Door: Mary Hiester Reid and Helen McNicoll and in 2023, brought together for the first time McNicoll with
Mary Cassatt in an exhibition titled
Cassatt — McNicoll: Impressionists Between Worlds.
The two artists were understood in a more insightful way when considered together, the AGO believed.
In 2024, the exhibition Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey which presented more than 65 paintings by the artist, including 25 from the collection of Pierre Lassonde, was held at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ).
Style and works
McNicoll was consistently recognized in Canada for her treatment of light and air, bold use of color, and overall "quiet" artworks—possibly influenced by her deafness. Reviewers praised McNicoll's works for their sunny qualities. Subjects of her paintings typically included women, children, and rural landscapes.
File:McNicoll,Helen Galloway-The Apple Gatherer.jpg| The Apple Gatherer, c. 1911, oil on canvas, 106.8 x 92.2 cm
File:Helen McNicoll, Exposition dans le Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec 17.tif| Picking Flowers, c. 1912, oil on canvas, 94 x 78.8 cm
File:Helen McNicoll4.jpg| Girl With Parasol, c. 1913, oil on canvas, 40.6 x 45.7 cm
File:Helen McNicoll, Exposition dans le Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec 15.tif| The Open Door, c. 1913, oil on canvas
File:Helen Galloway McNicoll - White Sunshade -2 - Google Art Project.jpg| White Sunshade #2, c. 1912, oil on canvas, 99.5 x 81.9 cm
File:Helen McNicoll - A l'ombre de l'arbre.jpg|A l'ombre de l'arbre (Circa 1910), 100 x 81,5 cm
File:Helen McNicoll - Montreal en hiver 1911.jpg|Montreal en hiver 1911
File:Helen Galloway McNicoll - Interior - Google Art Project.jpg|(1905/1915)
File:Mcnicoll helen galloway-children by stream.jpg
File:MBAM McNicoll - À l'ombre de la tente.jpg| Under the Shadow of the Tent, 1914.
Record sale prices
At the Cowley Abbott Auction of An Important Private Collection of Canadian Art – Part III, December 6, 2023, Lot #140, McNicoll's
The Chintz Sofa, circa 1912, oil on canvas, 31.75 x 39 ins ( 80.6 x 99.1 cms ), Auction Estimate:CAD$250,000.00 - $350,000.00, realized a price of C$888,000.00.
Notable collectors
Pierre Lassonde is a major collector of art by McNicoll.
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07nm512l3do#:~:text=Canadian%20philanthropist%20Pierre%20Lassonde%2C%20a,we%20should%20be%20covering%20here%20.
]
Further reading
-
Natalie Luckyj, Helen McNicoll : a Canadian Impressionist. Toronto : Art Gallery of Ontario, 1999.
-
Samantha Burton. Helen McNicoll: Life & Work. Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2017.
-
A.K. Prakash, Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2015, pp. 491–509.
External links
