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| Emily Carr Young Pines and Sky, circa 1935 oil on paper Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust |
I think that no one has captured the power, feeling and mood of the magnificent ancient British Columbia forest that was still evident when Emily Carr started painting it almost 100 years ago. Yet even Emily became discouraged about her work and almost stopped painting during the 1920's. Instead, she earned her living renting out rooms, and making and selling the most god-awful looking pottery souvenirs.
I knew that she'd made pots, but hadn't seen them until visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery today. Emily appropriated 'indian motifs' in her pots and ashtrays without really understanding the context.
The exhibition juxtaposes quilts made by BC author / artist Douglas Coupland who has stitched 'souvenir' First Nation motifs into his creations. Coupland has also imagined a dialogue between him and Emily about their work and it plays in the room where the pots and the quilts are displayed. I thought it was a clever way to talk about the appropriation of culture!
I wish I could show you photos of the exhibit, but photos are not allowed; the Vancouver Art Gallery does not have paper brochures about their exhibits; the website is also very sparse in terms of description and imagery of their exhibits.
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| Emily Carr, Loggers' Culls, 1935 oil on canvas 69.0 cm x 112.2 cm Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Photo: Trevor Mills, Vancouver Art Gallery |
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Emily Carr, Strangled by Growth, 1931 oil on canvas 64.0 cm x 48.6 cm Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Photo: Trevor Mills, Vancouver Art Gallery |
