Skeena Crossing 1926

A.Y. Jackson made *Skeena Crossing* with paint—probably oil—and brush, building the image from marks on the canvas. The painting's surface has a scrubby feel, especially in the mountains in the background. Up close, you can see how Jackson applied the paint in these short, choppy strokes. But what really grabs me is the way the vertical totem poles interrupt the horizontal roofs of the buildings. Look at how each pole is topped with a bird, like a full stop punctuating the upward movement. These birds echo the distant mountains, which are themselves like huge, still waves. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley's late paintings, especially in the way Jackson uses simplified forms and bold colors to create a sense of monumentality and the interconnectedness of life and landscape. It's like he's saying something about how we see, how we build, and how we relate to the world around us.