Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist and writer heavily inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. One of the first painters in Canada to adopt a post-impressionist painting style, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until later in her life. As she matured, the subject matter of her painting shifted from aboriginal themes to landscapes, and, in particular, forest scenes. As a writer, Carr was one of the earliest chroniclers of life in British Columbia. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as a "Canadian icon".
It's about feeling after all. Years of schooling, discussion and cold dissections of art mean nothing if you don't feel. Carr makes it clear that First Nations people in Canada got to the very core of art making. It's not about realism it's about essence. It's not about individual details, it's about the whole, the impression, the feeling of capturing The Thing As It Is Felt. This writing feels incredibly fresh and arguably summarises much of what John Berger spent a lifetime trying to teach or explain. This is deeply felt, non b-s type of writing. Worth hunting down.