Church In Yuquot Village -- Previously titled Indian Church -- Emily Carr
"Art is art, nature is nature, you cannot improve upon it . . . Pictures should be inspired by nature, but made in the soul of the artist; it is the soul of the individual that counts."
Emily Carr, 1912
Sigh. My commitment to sharing the art in our home during Advent continues to be a challenge because of the wan light of these days moving toward the solstice. Moving from darkness to light may be a theme of Advent, but a little more natural light would have been helpful as I've taken photos.
Yesterday was the birthday of one of my favourite artists, Emily Carr. She was a white woman who made her way in the very male world of Canadian painting at the beginning of the 20th century. Carr was known and respected by Group of Seven painters, and she was close friends with Lawren Harris, but she was never invited to be part of the club.
Harris wanted her to embrace the theosophist spirituality which informed his work but she decided to remain a Christian and an Anglican, despite her eye-rolling at the stodginess of the local priest revealed in journal entries
We have experienced exhibits of Carr's work in British Columbia and in exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg. There is a powerful spiritual presence in her paintings and she did attempt to honour Indigenous culture in her works. The original of the painting pictured above is in the AGO and no matter the exhibition we are there to see during visits I usually seek it out. For years it spoke to me of the connection with between my Christian faith and the "first book" of Creation. Latterly I've felt ambivalence because Christian denominations, including the United Church, attempted to minimize and even expunge Indigenous spirituality in ways which were shameful and antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ
I'm grateful that the McMichael Gallery acknowledged Carr's birthday with the quote above and the description below.
Born December 13 1871 in Victoria, BC, Emily Carr was a leading figure in Canadian modern art in the twentieth century.
Ruggedly individualistic, resourceful, adventurous, indomitable - these adjectives have all been used to describe the larger-than-life persona of Canada's most renowned west coast painter. Carr's lifelong inspiration was the coastal environment of British Columbia, conveying the vast west coast sky and its monumental trees, with big sweeping brushstrokes she felt were in keeping with the expansiveness of her environment.Happy Birthday, Emily!
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