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manda2491's review against another edition
4.0
Pulsing with unshakeable devotion to British Colombia, Carr paints an intimate portrait of her highs & lows, her travels abroad, and artistic insecurities as she grows and develops into one of Canada's most prized painters and writers. The autobiography reveals a fascinating time in the history of North America and its art scene. Carr shows us the artist's psyche in bold beautiful language that craves the fuel provided only by human (and animal) reassurance and understanding.
sassispring's review against another edition
5.0
If you are as fascinated by Emily Carr as I am, this is a terrific book to read.
jainabee's review against another edition
5.0
This is great story-telling! I'm only half-way through, and I'm willing to give it 5 stars!
OK, I'm done and it was such a rare pleasure to be so absorbed and interested in a memoir. Now I've got to read all of her other books!
OK, I'm done and it was such a rare pleasure to be so absorbed and interested in a memoir. Now I've got to read all of her other books!
juliavdelft's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for book club and enjoyed it.
It was very interesting to read a book written by a famous artist, and one written when she was over 70 years old. She remembered a lot! She had a hard life, I think. However, this contributed to her work.
The book is about her early life and her later struggles as one of the only modern painters in Western Canada. No one appreciated her work until she was much older. I loved reading about old BC and of course, Emily Carr is BC's pride and joy so I can't help but feel proud of her. There were a lot of Canadian feelings, especially regarding the "Old World" versus the new.
One thing that surprised me was how many women artists there actually were at the schools. This is the late Victorian/early Edwardian age, and yet, there were a lot of female students at the art schools in San Francisco, London, and Paris. So her book and life is not so much about a struggle as a female artist, but more about being a Modern artist, and especially trying to bring that to Vancouver and Victoria. Reading about Carr studying Impressionism in France and then being in New York and seeing the new Abstract art movement was fascinating. These things have been around for a long time now, but they were all new to her, and had different impacts on her work. The Group of Seven was her saviour, and once she got to know them, her whole world changed.
She hardly writes about specific paintings. The only one really referenced was "The Indian Church" which is said to be her best work. She was unhappy about it because Lawren Harris said it was her best, and she didn't want to be at her peak.
After reading this, I had a new appreciation of her work.
It was very interesting to read a book written by a famous artist, and one written when she was over 70 years old. She remembered a lot! She had a hard life, I think. However, this contributed to her work.
"Professor, you are very hard on that young Canadian girl!"
"Hard?" The Professor shrugged, spread his palms. "Art - the girl has 'makings.' It takes red-hot fury to dig 'em up. If I'm harsh it's for her own good. More often than not worth while things hurt. Art's worth while."
Again he shrugged.
The book is about her early life and her later struggles as one of the only modern painters in Western Canada. No one appreciated her work until she was much older. I loved reading about old BC and of course, Emily Carr is BC's pride and joy so I can't help but feel proud of her. There were a lot of Canadian feelings, especially regarding the "Old World" versus the new.
More than ever was I convinced that the old way of seeing was inadequate to express this big country of ours, her depth, her height, her unbounded wideness, silences too strong to be broken - nor could ten million cameras, through their mechanical boxes, ever show real Canada. It had to be sensed, passed through live minds, sensed and loved.
Why must these people go on, and on, copying, copying fragments of old relics from extinct churches, and old tombs as though those were the best that could ever be, and it would be a sacrilege to beat them? Why didn't they want to out-do the best instead of copying, always copying what had been done?
One thing that surprised me was how many women artists there actually were at the schools. This is the late Victorian/early Edwardian age, and yet, there were a lot of female students at the art schools in San Francisco, London, and Paris. So her book and life is not so much about a struggle as a female artist, but more about being a Modern artist, and especially trying to bring that to Vancouver and Victoria. Reading about Carr studying Impressionism in France and then being in New York and seeing the new Abstract art movement was fascinating. These things have been around for a long time now, but they were all new to her, and had different impacts on her work. The Group of Seven was her saviour, and once she got to know them, her whole world changed.
She hardly writes about specific paintings. The only one really referenced was "The Indian Church" which is said to be her best work. She was unhappy about it because Lawren Harris said it was her best, and she didn't want to be at her peak.
After reading this, I had a new appreciation of her work.
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