Featured Artist: Sheila McCririck (1916 – 2001)
Sheila McCririck was Head of Arts at Bishop Otter College between 1949 and 1977. During this time she worked closely with the College Principal Miss K.M.E. Murray (Betty Murray) and was instrumental in the founding of the Bishop Otter Art Collection.
Sheila McCririck (1916-2001) Untitled Nude
The Collection had begun just prior to Sheila McCririck’s arrival at the College in 1947 when her predecessor Miss Eleanor Hipwell had purchased three paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum on behalf of the College. These first works included a Lithograph by Margaret Horder, a gouache by Kathleen Moss and a watercolour by Michael Rothenstein. All three remain in the Bishop Otter Collection. The Collection itself reflects the aspirations and sentiments of the post war years. The Collection was primarily for the educational and cultural development of the students training at the College. At the time students would have alternatively had to travel as far as London to see works by such renowned contemporary artists. Chichester did not have a significant gallery until Pallant House Gallery was opened in 1982.
As the Bishop Otter College Art Collection grew advice was sought from artists such as Henry Moore, Ivon Hitchens and Graham Sutherland. McCririck and Murray wanted to find the best way to build a significant art collection on a relatively small budget. Many artists such as Hitchens made unique deals in which the college would pay for the paintings in monthly instalments. To date the collection includes 350 works (paintings, sculpture, textiles and ceramics). The Collection is owned by the Bishop Otter Trustees who seek to ensure that the Collection is preserved for future generations.
The current ‘Picture of the Month’ by McCririck was painted in 1947 just prior to her arrival in Chichester. This oil painting depicts a reclining nude and is executed in a rough brush style. The figure’s eyes are veiled and her mouth is small and tight, perhaps indicating modesty, in spite of her nudity. The rough layered style of painting was of a type often used in the 1940’s. The figure appears against a cool green background contrasting to the warm flesh tones and the black bedstead on the right.
The genre of ‘The Nude’ in Art is often used to create a classic, elemental, primal and even universal impression. Because we are all creatures of our own nakedness, it is the subject of ultimate empathy. And yet, in the hands of an artist, that fleeting, imperfect, and fragile package that carries all of our souls gains a noble immortality and perfection that transcends the mere physical. The naked human figure has inspired great works and in art has often played a role similar to the role of a hero in the great epics. The true essence of art is beauty, joined with sensuality yet it can often confused with vulgarity. Nudity moves us profoundly because it evokes a link with love, with passion.
The University is indebted to the enthusiasm and shrewd discernment of Sheila McCririck and Betty Murray. Together they established a Collection of international prominence. We have decided to display this particular work to coincide with the ‘Recollections’ exhibition as a tribute to Sheila McCririck, collector and artist.
Coral Mobbs (History BA Student, 2010)