A Conversation for Emily Carr - Canadian Artist and Author

Peer Review: A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 1

SashaQ - happysad

Entry: Emily Carr - Canadian Artist - A87991140
Author: SashaQ - happysad and 'slightly mad' - U9936370

Here is an Entry about an artist who made a vivid impression on me when I visited Canada a few years ago.


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 2

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Wow, this is interesting! I've never heard of this artist. I can see where the controversy would come from. Especially if those people were basket-weavers rather than potters. It's a shame: North American basketweaving is one of the most amazing arts in the world. I've seen some unbelievable things in demonstrations from the Catawba people of the Carolinas.

I hope you don't mind, but I went through and made a few notes about ways I think you could help us understand Emily Carr's story better.

1. Would you mind putting the person's dates (year-year) after their name at the start? I always find that it helps me to locate them in my mindspace. Maybe other people feel the same way? Also, could you use an adjective to describe what kind of artist Emily Carr was? Painter? Sculptor? Designer?

2. >>Emily had enjoyed being outdoors and spending time with animals. As a result, she was very different to her sisters, who were able to behave like obedient Victorian children.<<

I'm thinking you mean to tell us that Emily Carr was athletic and outdoorsy, and somehow different in outlook from other girls her age. But this seems to be saying that liking animals and nature naturally makes girls so. Could you maybe say, instead, that Emily, who enjoyed the outdoor life and loved animals, was different from her sisters in that she was [more outspoken, less interested in ________, or whatever it is distinguishes her from her sisters]?
I particularly ask this on behalf of every female person in my family who lived in the late 19th Century, all of whom were prone to be outdoors and liked animals. (One of my grandmothers used to ride a horse to school.) They were, admittedly, none of them particularly obedient Victorian types...

3. >>Over a relatively short period of time she developed pain in one foot and struggled to walk, she was bruised after being crushed in the crowd watching the funeral procession of Queen Victoria, and then she fell down a flight of stairs.<<
I'd break that sentence up into several. Also, reading it made me confused about Queen Victoria falling downstairs. Did Emily fall downstairs the same day as Queen Victoria's procession?

4. >>She took bed rest, but developed fatigue, headaches, stomach upsets and numbness - these turned out to be symptoms of a nervous breakdown.<<
Again, could you slow that down for us? It sounds like falling downstairs was related to a nervous breakdown, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't what you meant. Could you say something about what the doctors thought, and what it turned out to be?
Or else just say that on top of her physical problems, she had a nervous breakdown?

Just a side note: I know nobody could possibly answer the question of what was wrong with her after so long a time, but 'nervous breakdown' as a catch-all term for mental illness gets my goat sometimes. That's not a criticism of your entry, just of head doctors in general. smiley - headhurts

5. >>Emily had had a heart attack in 1937, and went on to have more heart attacks and strokes in subsequent years.<<
I'd reword that as, 'In 1937, Emily had the first of a series of heart attacks. She also suffered from strokes.'

Anyway, now I'm off to see if I can find some photos to look at...smiley - run



A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 3

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Okay, just saw some paintings... smiley - wow...she was GOOD...

Please put in a section about her landscapes, styles, and influences. smiley - grovel

This reminds me of both Gauguin and van Gogh:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breton_church_Emily_Carr_1906.jpeg


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 4

Bluebottle

I must admit my first thought when reading the opening line 'Emily Carr was an artist who was esteemed in her lifetime more for the stories she wrote' was 'why isn't this entry titled 'Emily Carr - Canadian Artist and Author'? This being on the grounds that if someone was casually browsing who had read Emily Carr's work in the past might potentially think, 'Emily Carr! I really enjoyed reading books by an author with that name when I was younger, but this looks like a different person' and move on.

If being a successful author was among her accomplishments and what she was acclaimed for in her lifetime, I'm not sure why it is being overlooked?

<BB<


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 5

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Good point! A short bibliography might not be amiss. smiley - smiley


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 6

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks both smiley - biggrin

Excellent suggestions - I have updated the title and made some other changes. I'm still working on the section about her artistic styles and influences - Gauguin and Van Gogh are definitely part of them smiley - ok


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 7

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

smiley - biggrin Much clearer! Poor woman - I now see that she must have had a terrible time in England, what with the accidents and the miserable medical 'help'.

Thanks!


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 8

SashaQ - happysad

Thank you. Yes, that kind of 'help' potentially does more harm than good...

I have now added more about her art, so I hope that works - see what you think smiley - biggrin


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 9

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

This works really well now. smiley - ok You've got a well-balanced account of a very interesting person, with reference to different facets of her life. smiley - smiley

Also, thanks for explaining about the 'cultural appropriation' problem. There's a lot of discussion these days about where the line between appropriation and appreciation needs to be drawn, and you've done a good job there.


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 10

Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor

Thanks Sasha, I really enjoyed learning about Emily Carr. My parents have also visited Canada and loved the place, particularly the Niagara Falls. I have a Canadian friend who tells me all the gossip smiley - biggrin and I am now the proud owner of a facemask made from Maple leaf fabricsmiley - loveblush


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 11

SashaQ - happysad

Thank you smiley - biggrin

Yes, I first encountered Emily Carr's paintings in the British Columbia Museum along with totem poles that were on display, so it was important to examine the 'cultural appropriation' question.

Ah, yes the Niagara Falls are amazing! I was lucky that I was able to visit Toronto en route to Victoria - the day trip to Niagara Falls was one of the highlights of my stay smiley - ok


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 12

Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor

Very interesting Entry smiley - smiley I have never heard of her before. I googled her work and I like many of her pictures.

Doing some nit-picking I'd just remark the following:
.. and studied standard techniques including still-life'
still-life is not a technique, it's a genre (like landscapes or portraits)


A87991140 - Emily Carr - Canadian Artist

Post 13

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks Tav smiley - biggrin

Good point - I have updated that section smiley - ok


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Post 14

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Post 15

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

smiley - applausesmiley - artist


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 16

SashaQ - happysad

Thank you smiley - biggrin


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