Kispiax Village 1929

Emily Carr made this painting of Kispiax Village with oil on canvas. The mark making has an angular, almost violent, quality, which, along with the colour palette, makes it feel modern for its time. You can feel Carr really pushing the paint around, not trying to hide the process at all. The earthy tones and deep blues feel very grounded, but the way the light seems to pulse out from within the trees and totem poles gives it an otherworldly quality. It's like the village is both there and not there, a solid place that shimmers like a mirage. Look at the way she's handled the totem poles themselves. The paint is thick and sculptural, they are not just representations of objects, but living presences in the landscape. Carr reminds me of Marsden Hartley, another artist who painted landscapes with a deep, spiritual connection to place. Both artists show us how painting can be a way of feeling, not just seeing, the world.