I was thinking about how we are supposed to, according to PLO C2 ("It is expected that students will identify distinctive styles of visual images from various historical, cultural, and social contexts") for the intermediate grades at least, introduce our students to the art of different time periods and also how Canadian artists don't always leap to mind when it comes to that which got me thinking of the most famous, at least until Alex's sister is more well known, British Columbia artist,
Emily Carr.
Not only is Emily Carr an important artist simply because she was a magnificent painter, but she also documented BC Coastal First Nations culture. Her paintings of totem poles are breath taking and evocative and I think her art would be a very interesting introduction to units on BC history, geography and culture.
I loved using Emily Carr and the Group of Seven to visually interpret Canadian values. If you compare it to European art at the same time, you can really see how geography impacted their decisions, not just in the landscapes they painted, but the colours and moods, all kinds of things.
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