Heart of the Forest 1935

Emily Carr made this painting, Heart of the Forest, with oil on canvas. Look at how she builds up these gestural marks, one on top of the other. It is almost as if the painting came into being in stages, like layers of feeling, each stroke leading to the next in a sort of intuitive dance. I wonder what it felt like for Carr to stand there, brush in hand, trying to capture the essence of the forest's heart. The paint looks quite thick, doesn’t it? See how it almost swirls around the canvas? That one gesture there, the way she drags the green across the surface, feels so alive and vibrant. It reminds me of the energy you find in other expressionist painters but with a touch that is uniquely Carr. Ultimately, it feels like Carr is inviting us to contemplate the natural world, encouraging an exchange of ideas between herself and other artists across time, inspiring creativity, ambiguity, and uncertainty in the viewer’s mind.