Emily Carr
Emily Carr - Born December 13, 1871 - Died March 2, 1945
Victoria-born Emily Carr is British Columbia’s most famous artist. Her art and writings are recognized across Canada. Emily grew up with a passion for art and a love of nature, especially animals. After high school she studied art in San Francisco. Later she travelled to England and France to refine her style. A trip to the native village of Ucluelet in 1899 opened the world of Aboriginal culture that inspired her to paint images of the vanishing totem poles in their natural setting.
An art exhibit in Eastern Canada in 1927 brought her to the attention of a wider public. Carr’s later paintings drew inspiration from the deep forest itself, painted in vivid strokes of colour. After 1939, when ill health curtailed her paintings, she turned to writing, winning the Governor General’s award in 1941 for Klee Wyck. She went onto publish more books and win new recognition as a writer.
Emily Carr celebrated the British Columbia landscape in an original and vigorous way, from the “turmoil of growth” to the “space and glory of the sky.” A person of deep spirituality she reflected upon nature and humanity. She is a kindred spirit for all times.
“To have been permitted to give pleasure by writing and painting the plain simple things of my life fills me with deepest gratitude.”
Emily Carr was a famous Canadian artist and writer linked to the Group of Seven. She is known for her powerful paintings of the Pacific Northwest’s landscapes and Indigenous cultures. Born in 1871 in Victoria, British Columbia, she loved nature, which showed strongly in her art.
Her paintings often show thick forests, rocky coasts, and totem poles, capturing the region’s beauty and spirit. Over time, her style mixed post-impressionism and modernism. She is also known for bringing Indigenous art and themes into Canadian art.
Besides painting, Carr wrote books like Klee Wyck and The Book of Small, sharing her thoughts on Indigenous communities and helping people understand and respect their culture more.
Emily Carr’s work remains important in Canadian art and literature, making her a key figure in the country’s culture.
