Francis Shurrock

Francis Aubrey Shurrock (1887–1977) was a notable New Zealand sculptor and art teacher. He was born in Warrington, Lancashire, England on 5 August 1887. He studied under Édouard Lantéri at the Royal College of Art, London from 1909 to 1913.

Shurrock died 7 October 1977, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Early life

Shurrock was born in Lancashire, England to Aubrey Hilsdon Shurrock and Clementina Leticia Handley. He was the fifth child out of six but unfortunately only three of his siblings survived to adulthood (reference). Francis Shurrock attended Tarvin village grammar school which his father was the headmaster of. He was described as a natural athlete and was involved in sport growing up. He then studied at County School, Chester until 1904 and in 1904 he was appointed pupil teacher at the Chester School of Art and studied there full-time by 1907. He excelled at drawing, and this can be noted as the early beginnings of his prosperous artistic career.

Training and career

In 1909 Shurrock was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. His main teacher and mentor was Edward Lanteri who was considered an extremely talented and inspirational artist and educator. Shurrock admired how Lanteri did not want to create clones of himself, instead to inspire individuals to recognise their own talents and exceed in their own individual ways and artistic styles.

At the Royal College of Art, Shurrock learnt alongside a multitude of notable British artists such as Charles Sargeant Jagger, Charles Wheeler, Leon Underwood, Harold Brownsword, William McMillan, Gilbert Ledward and Harold Youngman. Many of these fellow students would later provide inspiration and friendship in later years when Shurrock moved to New Zealand.

Art and legacy

Whilst studying at the Royal College of Art, Shurrock produced the work ‘Peter’, a bronze cast made in 1913 which remarkably received praise from sculptor Auguste Rodin who was a friend of his teacher Lanteri. ‘Peter’ is one of many human figure sculptures Shurrock created throughout his lifetime, many of which are sculpted from drawings of his close family and friends. These sculptures were often commended for their remarkable realism and similarity to that of the style of the great sculptors of the Renaissance.

Shurrock was recruited to move to New Zealand in 1923 as part of the national effort to upgrade art teaching at technical and art schools throughout the country. He arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand in January of 1924. Shurrock’s time at the Canterbury School of Art was somewhat tumultuous, due to tenions between himself and the head faculty of the art school.

Style and Subject

Shurrock was a prolific sculptor, working at a time when painting was only really considered the acceptable artform. This was a damaging attitude that continued into the 1950s where Shurrock and his sculpture-based students were considered as craftsmen, rather than artists. He faced difficulties to revive his artistic career which had been put on pause due to the war and educational efforts. Commission to begin and display works was extremely difficult and could only be possible under the agreement from the Council of Canterbury College.

Some of his most notable works are his bronze casts of influential figures such as Archibald Nicholl, Professor James Shelley, Robert Field, Robert McDougall, Nurse Maude and James Edward FitzGerald. Most of these sculptures are on display scattered around Christchurch with some remaining at the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch Art Gallery and the University of Canterbury.