Emily Carr -legendary female Canadian artist March 8, 2019
In the history of Canadian art, Emily Carr is an icon. Born in Victoria, she moved to San Francisco in 1890 to study art after the death of her parents. In 1899 she travelled to England to continue her studies. She spent time at the Westminster School of Art in London and various studio schools in Cornwall, Bushey, Hertfordshire, and elsewhere. In 1910, she spent a year studying art at the Académie Colarossi in Paris.
Native Influences
Her works were influenced by the landscape of the BC., as well as the First Nations culture. Visiting a mission school beside the Nuu-chah-nulth community of Ucluelet in 1898. And began to paint the totem poles of the coastal Kwakwaka’wakw, Haida, Tsimshian, Tlingit and other communities. Attempting to record and learn from as many as possible. In 1913 Emily Carr returned to Victoria. She also spent time in Vancouver, both of which were, at that time, conservative. And remained unknown to and unrecognized by the greater art world for many years. She worked as a potter, dog breeder and boarding house landlady. Having given up on her artistic career.
Meeting the Group of Seven
In the 1920s she was invited by the National Gallery of Canada to participate in a major exhibition. Featuring Canadian West Coast Art. She travelled to Ontario for this show in 1927 where she met members of the Group, including Lawren Harris, whose support was invaluable. And was invited to be in the Group of Seven exhibitions. Marking the beginning of her long and valuable association with the Group. Naming her ‘The Mother of Modern Arts’.
The Nuu-chah-nulth of Vancouver Island’s west coast had nicknamed Emily Carr Klee Wyck, “the laughing one.” She gave this name to a book about her experiences with the natives, published in 1941. The book won the Governor General’s Award that year. Her other titles were The Book of Small (1942),The House of All Sorts (1944) and Growing Pains (1946) Pause and The Heart of a Peacock (1953), and in 1966, Hundreds and Thousands. They reveal her to be an accomplished writer.
Paying Respect
The Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design bears her name. Along with the Emily Carr Elementary School in Vancouver and the Emily Carr Middle School in Ottawa. And Emily Carr Public School in London.
In my art, I hope to capture the same love of the area that she did. Be sure to check out the gallery. I love the Vancouver area and I hope that translates in my work. You can see the beauty of Britannia Beach to the passion of Whitsler and Howe Sound.
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[…] over 90 years, Granville Island was home to Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Now recently relocated to the Great Northern Way technology district, its stamp on the arts world […]
Rare Matisse expected to break record at auction. - SamsOriginalArt May 14, 2019 - 12:02
[…] from notable Canadian artists. It includes Group of Seven painters like Lawren Harris, along with Emily Carr, Jack Bush and Jean Paul […]
Inspiring Canadian Painters - Part I - SamsOriginalArt June 28, 2019 - 16:54
[…] Emily Carr, born in Vancouver, is Canada’s best known female painter. She spent her career painting themes related to the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. In 1898, Carr made her first of several trips to Ucluelet, to study the Nuu-chah-nulth people. In 1910 she travelled to Europe to learn the artistic trends of the period. She became a pioneering artist in Canada of the modernist and post-impressionist style. In later years, she her painting subjects leaned more toward landscapes, rather than indigenous people. To read more about this great Canadian artist. […]
Sam Siegel is getting noticed in the Vancouver Sun - SamsOriginalArt July 09, 2019 - 18:09
[…] vistas. And if you’re a fan of the Group of Seven, his art may remind you of painters like Emily Carr and Lawren Harris. Sam also cites Ross Penhall as one of his ‘contemporary’ favourites. The […]