Emily Carr: A True Canadian Hero
Emily Carr was a Canadian artist and painter whose work was heavily influenced by the Aboriginal culture and people. (“Emily Carr”) She adopted a unique painting style which integrated aspects of impressionism, post-impressionism and fauvism. (“France 1910-1911”) Carr’s unique painting style accompanied by the Aboriginal influence gave her paintings an idiosyncratic touch. Carr also had to fight overwhelming obstacles in her life. Emily Carr lived a fascinating life full of challenges, which lead her to discover her aptitude for art, and made her a true Canadian hero.
Emily Carr lived a productive and fascinating life. Emily Carr was born December 13, 1871 in Victoria, British Columbia. Her parents Richard and Emily Saunders Carr were British immigrants who had settled in the small provincial town of Victoria. Richard Carr married Emily Saunders in England in 1863 and moved his young family to Victoria. (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Victoria was an expatriate British settlement, home to the Songhees First Nation and a significantly present population of Chinese workers and merchants. Richard Carr found success as a merchant and established a grocery and liquor store in Victoria. Emily Carr described her father as being very British. (“Biography Part 1”) Emily Carr grew up with a younger brother and four older sisters in a orderly household, where English manners and values were maintained. Emily Carr was a rambunctious child who enjoyed an active childhood “running through the fields and playing with the animals on her family’s land.” (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Carr enjoyed little companionship with her mother, who had tuberculosis and was frequently bedridden. Carr was was however extremely close to her father, before an incident in her adolescence. This incident remains unclear but Carr in her old age later referred to it as a “brutal telling”. This incident permanently destroyed their relationship. (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Carr’s
Emily Carr lived a productive and fascinating life. Emily Carr was born December 13, 1871 in Victoria, British Columbia. Her parents Richard and Emily Saunders Carr were British immigrants who had settled in the small provincial town of Victoria. Richard Carr married Emily Saunders in England in 1863 and moved his young family to Victoria. (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Victoria was an expatriate British settlement, home to the Songhees First Nation and a significantly present population of Chinese workers and merchants. Richard Carr found success as a merchant and established a grocery and liquor store in Victoria. Emily Carr described her father as being very British. (“Biography Part 1”) Emily Carr grew up with a younger brother and four older sisters in a orderly household, where English manners and values were maintained. Emily Carr was a rambunctious child who enjoyed an active childhood “running through the fields and playing with the animals on her family’s land.” (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Carr enjoyed little companionship with her mother, who had tuberculosis and was frequently bedridden. Carr was was however extremely close to her father, before an incident in her adolescence. This incident remains unclear but Carr in her old age later referred to it as a “brutal telling”. This incident permanently destroyed their relationship. (“Emily Carr: A Biographical Sketch”) Carr’s