Emily Carr: Collected

by Ian M. Thom

Few Canadian artists are as revered as Emily Carr. Born in 1871, she grew up in a socially conservative environment, away from the major art centers. Critics at the time considered her early paintings accurate and skilled but lacking energy and depth of feeling. Against the odds, Emily Carr found success at the age of 57 when she was embraced by the Group of Seven. Her later works earned her status as 'an artist of stunning originality and strength': a woman who succeeded in a largely male world. She brought the power and beauty of coastal rainforests, and respectful glimpses of First Nations culture, to galleries in Toronto, New York and beyond. Nearly 70 years after her death, this collection of beautifully reproduced art showcases the breadth of Carr's career. It is a perfect introduction to her work and a lovely gift for Carr aficionados.

Genres: Art, Canada, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2013

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful gift from a lovely friend from an amazing trip! Book itself is a great little introduction to the artist and her works with some gorgeous pieces chosen. Shame it didn’t include the work (Trees in the Sky) that captured me at the AGO but that’s probably a ‘who owns the rights/when was it donated’ issue.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is an awesome book for anyone who loves Emily Carr's work or is interested in learning about her. The text part of the book is a simply written history of Emily Carr that takes up about nine pages. It's well written and thorough for a succinct history, ending with where the collection that the Vancouver Art Museum has come from. The rest of the book is the photos of the art pieces in the collection as this book is published by the Vancouver Art Museum.

I personally am a fan and love having these photos. I'm probably going to buy a second copy so I can cut out the photos for framing since finding art prints of Carr's artwork is extremely difficult and limited to only a few pieces. I just with this was a larger book so the pictures were bigger!

HIGHLY recommended and I would add that if you want more about Carr, Susan Vreeland has an awesome historical fiction novel called the Forest Lover.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is a lovely little, and it is little, book with beautiful reproductions (at least as far as I can tell without access to the originals!). There is a brief biographical essay at the beginning and the rest is Carr's lush art, including some charcoal drawings that I had never seen before that are as stunning as some of her finished paintings. Recommended for anyone who loves the work of Emily Carr.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became aware of Carr during a trip to visit a friend in Vancouver a couple years ago; I've been trying to find a way to see more of her work ever since.

The reproductions in this book are very well done—I enjoyed how sometimes two different pieces of the same work were often presented side by side—and I liked seeing more of an array of mediums.

I did wish there had been a bit more actual information listed with each work, but overall this was a nice way to overview.

[Maria Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice as a twenty year old to read about people finding their dreams later on in their life. Lovely artist.