‘Two soldiers’ emphasises wartime comradery

Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australia 1884-1961 / Two soldiers 1918 / Charcoal and crayon on cream canvas board / 72.6 x 58.6cm (comp.) / Gift of Rix Wright 1971 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of the artist

Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australia 1884-1961 / Two soldiers 1918 / Charcoal and crayon on cream canvas board / 72.6 x 58.6cm (comp.) / Gift of Rix Wright 1971 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of the artist / View full image

Australian artist Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961) made a significant contribution to art in the period between the First and Second World Wars, fusing a nationalist sentiment with her technical insights into French impressionism and post-impressionism.

Born in Ballarat in 1884, from 1902-05 Hilda Rix studied at the Melbourne National Gallery School under Frederick McCubbin. Arthur Streeton was a family friend and it is thought that he encouraged her to study in Europe. She left Melbourne in March 1907 to study in London and Paris; she travelled extensively in Spain and North Africa, and painted during the summers at Etaples in Picardy.

At the outbreak of the First World War Rix and her family were evacuated to London where her sister died of typhoid in 1914, and her mother passed soon after in 1915. Then her husband of one-month, Major George Matson Nicholas, DSO, of the 24th Battalion AIF, was killed on active service in 1916. Following his death she returned to Australia in 1918 and turned to art to express her grief, painting works which commemorate the heroism of the Australian soldier.

DELVE DEEPER: Hilda Rix Nicholas

RELATED WORKS IN THE COLLECTION: ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the soldiers in those forces became known as ANZACs. Anzac Day is a commemoration of the anniversary of the landing of those troops at Gallipoli, Turkey on 25 April in 1915 / 11 November is Remembrance Day, the memorial day observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month since the end of the First World War in 1918 to honour those who have died in the line of duty.

Hilda Rix Nicholas ‘Two soldiers’

Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australia 1884-1961 / Two soldiers 1918 / Charcoal and crayon on cream canvas board / 72.6 x 58.6cm (comp.) / Gift of Rix Wright 1971 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of the artist

Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australia 1884-1961 / Two soldiers 1918 / Charcoal and crayon on cream canvas board / 72.6 x 58.6cm (comp.) / Gift of Rix Wright 1971 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of the artist / View full image

Two soldiers

Completed two years after her husband’s death, the spirited portrait Two soldiers 1918 depicts two Australian soldiers on leave during the First World War. Emphasising the comradery that can emerge during wartime, the sentiment of the work positively aligns with the ANZAC mythology and reveals the artist’s belief in the character and dignity of the Australian soldier.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in the First World War quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day. ANZAC Day, 25 April, marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties and commemorates all the conflicts that followed.

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    The horse: Companion & muse

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