Have you ever felt yourself physically respond to a painting? Felt your heart swell with joy; your spirit lighten? Did you notice your mind humming with new ideas and with the desire to create something intriguing after you were dazzled by a piece of art? I have and I am thrilled and grateful each time it happens.
In particular, three major exhibitions I attended at the Art Gallery of Ontario had this wonderful effect on me. The featured artists and their art are very distinct but their creative intent, excellence, and originality link them for me.
The Emily Carr exhibit titled "From the Forest to the Sea" traced Carr's career as an explorer, innovator, and original artist/thinker. The exhibit followed her creative journey through the ancient forests of British Columbia and villages of the First Nations people.
When I entered the Art Gallery my mind was full of the details of the day – plans, errands, loose ends. Then I reached the entrance to this exhibition, stopped, and shifted gears while reading the posted introduction. During this brief pause I grasped the opportunity to completely immerse myself in Carr's world and sensibility.
The soaring trees in Emily Carr's works are exhuberant, sensuous, and awe-inspiring.I was sufficiently in the moment to experience the images fully with my eyes, mind, and heart. In this meditative state I connected with Carr's artistic skill, vision, and passion. My awareness expanded. I felt myself walking through the hush of the primordial forest beneath the canopy of the giant trees. Enthralled by the unity of everything I rejoiced.
Carr's values shine from her work. She was a proto-environmentalist and her love of nature is evident in her depictions of haggard pines overlooking landscapes of clearcut logging and in scenes of ghost-trees floating above the razed forest floor. In her totem pole paintings she captures iconic images and preserves their memory. The totem poles are haunting and majestic. They nudged me to learn more about the culture and traditions of the First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest.
I have carried these extraordinary moments of insight and beauty into my poetry collections. Sparked by Carr's persistence, vision, and originality, I strive to elevate my word-paintings, to dig deeper beneath the surface of things, and to inspire others. Her art and her courage are a beacon.
(The two other exhibitions that I mentioned will be discussed in my next blog.)
Copyright Merle Nudelman, July 2018
