| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | May 7, 1991 |
| Year | 1991 |
| Quantity | 10,500,000 |
| Denomination |
50¢
|
| Perforation or Dimension | 12.5 x 13 |
| Series | Masterpieces of Canadian Art |
| Series Time Span | 1988 - 2002 |
| Printer | Ashton-Potter Limited. |
| Postal Administration | Canada |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|
|
M-NH-VF
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-VF
|
Used - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
The fourth stamp in the continuing series on Masterpieces of Canadian Art, issued on May 7, 1991, honours one of Canada's most popular and prolific female artists, Emily Carr. The stamp depicts one of her best forest landscapes, "Forest, British Columbia". An oil on canvas, 129.5 x 86.4 cm, it is currently owned by the Vancouver Art Gallery. In this painting Carr conveys the forest's solemn splendour and towering strength, while the eye is led past trees that appear to expand and grow into the sanctuary-like space beyond. Emily Carr spent most of her life in Victoria, British Columbia, where she was born on December 13, 1871 and died on March 2, 1945. After an unhappy upbringing by her older sisters following her parents deaths, she switched from collecting a menagerie of wildlife to painting - and found her ultimate release. Impressed and encouraged by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris, she began painting forest landscapes in earnest in 1928, and after 1932 had entirely replaced West Coast Indian subjects with nature themes. The painting on this stamp issue is one of the early pieces in this phase of her artistic career. The stamp was designed by Montreal graphic designer Pierre-Yves Pelletier, who used the same general design and miniature sheet format as utilized for the previous stamps in the Masterpieces series.