The Canadian Group of Painters

1. The Canadian Group of Painters a.k.a. The Group of Seven

2. Who is the Group of Seven? In 1920, a group of painters joined together and called themselves the Group of Seven.. Original members: J.E.H. MacDonald, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, Franklin Carmichael, F.H. Varley and Frank Johnston. These were the first painters who painted scenery with spirit and emotion. A Canadian art movement began by people from Toronto wanting to go on vacation in the north to paint and relax.

3. There were many critics of this “new” style of art because people were used to the European ways of painting: soft, non-emotional depictions of real life. Most of these artists were hired as commercial artists at Grip Ltd. Grip Ltd. specialized in general artwork and in design layouts for large stores like Eatons. The Group of Seven held their 8th and final exhibition in Toronto in December of 1931. After the exhibition, an announcement was made that the Group of Seven was finished. This was when they started calling themselves The Canadian Group of Painters.

4. EMILY CARR

5. Biography She had 4 sisters and 1 brother. Her parents died when she was a teenager and she then lived with her older sister, Alice, in San Francisco, CA. Emily taught art in Vancouver until 1913. In 1927, Emily met the Group of Seven. This inspired her to paint again. When Emily was 70, her doctor told her to slow down, so she began to write. Emily died on March 2nd, 1945 and was buried in the Carr Family Plot in Victoria, BC. The St. James Inn, where Emily lived her last days, has had sightings of Emily’s ghost from time to time.

6. Indian Church 1929 Oil on Canvas http://www.inter-art.com/ Native Indians of northern B.C.became a significant influence on her works of art. This is a painting of an Indian Church located on Nootka Island, which was off of Vancouver Island.

7. Elements and Principles of Design Line: Curved lines in the leaves of the trees. This creates a sense of “unity”. Straight lines on the Church. This creates “emphasis”. Colour: The green of the trees “contrasts” with the yellow of the Church to make it the “focal point” of the painting. Value: There are a “variety” of shades and tints in the background. Shape: There are repeating shapes in the background to create a sense of “movement”. Form:Some leaves are shown to have weight to them and the shading of the church shows that it’s a form as well. Texture: The leaves and the church have smooth surfaces, whereas the tree trunks seem to have rough surfaces.

8. Totem Walk at Sitka 1917 Oil on Canvas www.inter-art.com Carr’s own style of Post-Impressionism brought emotion and movement into a scene. She had a specific interest in Native Indian Totem poles, which she created many paintings of.

9. Elements and Principles of Design Line: Curved lines in the pathway in between the trees and the overhead leaves. Vertical lines for the totem poles and tree trunks. This creates a sense of “unity”. Colour: The browns are around the outside of the painting. There are yellows on the path. Value: There are a “various” of shades on the overhead and tints in the on the path. (variety) Shape: There are many ”different” shapes on the totem pole (variety). There are repeating totem poles along the path to show “unity”. Form: The trunks have shading to show them as 3D. Texture: The path seems smooth, but the leaves overhead seem to be rough.

10. Somberness Sunlit 1930s Oil on Canvas www.inter-art.com Light and wind take visible form in this painting. Emily created many tree paintings, and this gave her artworks many moods and moments. This painting shows the mood of joy (light) trying to force its way into the somber (dark) forest.

11. Elements and Principles of Design Line: Horizontal lines of light through the space in between the trees show “rhythm”. Vertical, curved lines for the tree trunks also show a sense of “movement”. Colour: There are a lot of yellows and greens thoughout the painting, which give it a sense of “harmony”. Value: The lights and darks of the lines give the painting a sense of “unity”. Form: The trunks have shading to show them as 3D and the bush on the left also has shading.

12. "Pictures should be inspired by nature but made in the soul of the artist.... Extract the essence of your subject and paint yourself into it; forget the little petty things that don’t count; try for the bigger side....’’ Emily Carr

13. References http://www.tomthomson.org/groupseven/index.html http://collections.ic.gc.ca/EmilyCarrHomeWork/ http://www.david-kilgour.com/uneasy/chap06.htm http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/carr.html