The second half of this essay will focus on how her perceptions of Indigenous and Chinese culture manifested on canvas. I will use the first half of this paper to acknowledge what we understand about Carr’s views, and how they fit in with the settler colonialist perspective. Her journals contain her unfiltered thoughts and beliefs and numerous scholars have used this literature in their understanding of Carr’s artwork. To explore Carr’s perspective and how she viewed people of other races and cultures I will consider two sources: her own words and her art. This view is important to explore because it highlights an ongoing dichotomy permeating western views of the other: who gets to belong where, and why, and who gets excluded. In this paper I will consider these relationships through the differences in how Carr depicts and writes about Chinese culture in contrast to Indigenous culture.

Although Carr’s relationship with Indigenous peoples in British Columbia contains a complexity that is often unpacked in contradictory ways, I wish to consider not only this relationship but also Carr’s interaction with and depiction of other people of colour. This shift is notable because it occurs at the same moment when other prominent artists refused to even acknowledge the existence of Indigenous peoples and culture. These views are important to examine as a part of Canadian history because in them we see a shift in ideals and relations with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Carr’s views on race and the artistic expressions of these beliefs are at best paradoxical, but are clearly encapsulated in her art, as well as her writing. In considering the entirety of Carr’s oeuvre we see that while her writing may have idealized aspects of Indigenous culture, it is clear that from her artwork she viewed her white settler class as more complex than other classes around her, including that of Indigenous and Chinese peoples. However, in light of present day conversations surrounding Indigenous issues, it is worth considering the artist alongside the deeper implications of her work, especially in terms of representation of non-white communities.

Her relationship with Indigenous people is also often hailed as a cause for celebration. These works are important because they showcase scenes and subject matters that were outside of the canon at the time alongside her vibrant use of colour and form, these qualities solidified her place as a cornerstone Canadian artist. Canadian artist Emily Carr (1871-1945) is well-known for her work of west coast landscapes and depictions of traditional Indigenous communities.

Growing Pains by Emily Carr