Emily Carr
Emily Carr
Canadian Artist and Writer
Full Name and Common Aliases
Emily Jane Margaret Hornby Carr was commonly known as Emily Carr.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on June 13, 1871, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Died on January 2, 1945, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Canadian, artist, writer, and educator.
Early Life and Background
Emily Carr was born into a prominent family in Victoria, British Columbia. Her father, Robert Dunsmore Carr, was a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in the forestry industry, while her mother, Lovisa Horatio Hornby, was from a naval officer's family. Emily's early life was marked by her love of art and the natural world. She spent much of her childhood exploring the wilderness surrounding Victoria and developing a deep appreciation for Indigenous cultures.
Carr's interest in art began at a young age. She received formal training at the Victoria College of Art and Design, where she honed her skills as an artist and developed a distinctive style that blended European influences with her experiences living among Indigenous peoples. In 1890, Emily traveled to San Francisco to study painting under the tutelage of William Keith, a prominent American artist.
Major Accomplishments
Emily Carr's most significant accomplishments include:
Pioneering Artistic Representations: Carr's paintings and writings played a crucial role in introducing European art audiences to Indigenous cultures. Her artwork often depicted the lives of First Nations people, which helped raise awareness about their struggles and experiences.
Founding of the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts: In 1925, Emily co-founded this institution with other artists, which provided training in the decorative arts and contributed to the development of a distinctly Canadian art style.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Carr's most notable works include:
"The North-West Coast Indian Tribe": A collection of sketches and paintings created during her travels among the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia.
"Klee Wyck": A memoir that recounts her experiences living with the Nuxalk people in 1938. This work is often cited as a pioneering example of ethnographic writing.
Impact and Legacy
Emily Carr's impact on Canadian art, literature, and society cannot be overstated:
Breaking Down Stereotypes: Her artwork challenged prevailing stereotypes about Indigenous cultures, presenting them in a more nuanced and respectful manner.
Paving the Way for Future Artists: Carr's innovative style and artistic vision paved the way for future generations of artists, including those who would go on to become prominent figures in Canadian art.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Emily Carr is widely quoted and remembered due to her:
Groundbreaking Artistic Contributions: Her paintings and writings helped raise awareness about Indigenous cultures and experiences.
Pioneering Spirit: As a woman artist in a male-dominated field, Emily broke down barriers and paved the way for others to follow.
* Enduring Legacy: Her artwork continues to inspire artists, writers, and audiences today, cementing her place as one of Canada's most beloved and respected cultural figures.
Quotes by Emily Carr
Emily Carr's insights on:
I sat staring, staring, staring - half lost, learning a new language or rather the same language in a different dialect. So still were the big woods where I sat, sound might not yet have been born.
Who of us knows just why we do what we do, much less another’s whys, or what we’re after? Art is not like that; cut and dried and hit-at like a bull’s eye and done for a reason and explained away by this or that motive. It’s climbing and striving for something always beyond.
If you’re going to lick the icing off somebody else’s cake you won’t be nourished and it won’t do you any good, – or you might find the cake had caraway seeds and you hate them.
Oh I do want that thing, that oneness of movement that will catch the thing up into one movement and sing – harmony of life.
The foolish square calves pretend to be frightened of our train. Bluffers! Haven’t they seen it every day since they were born? It’s just an excuse to shake the joy out of their heels.
I sat staring, staring, staring – half lost, learning a new language or rather the same language in a different dialect.
My mountain is dead. As soon as she has dried, I’ll bury her under a decent layer of white paint. But I haven’t done with the old lady; far from it!
Be careful that you do not write or paint anything that is not your own, that you don’t know in your own soul.
Cedars are terribly sensitive to change of time and light – sometimes they are bluish cold-green, then they turn yellow warm-green – sometimes their boughs flop heavy and sometimes float, then they are fairy as ferns and then they droop, heavy as heartaches.
I can rise above the humility of my failure with an intense desire to search deeper and a blind faith that some day my sight may pierce through the veils that hide. I know God’s face is there if I keep my gaze steady enough.