| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
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Those who knew the Canadian West in the olden days will doubtless find
memories vividly recalled by the exhibition of paintings now being held
at the Van Dyck gallery at Jas. A. Ogilvy's , Limited. These pictures,
from the brush of John Innes, are loaned by the
Hudson's Bay Company. They have been collectively described as "the epic
of western Canada," and this is a happy title to apply to the exhibit as
a whole, for the subjects treated seem to cover almost every phase of the
opening up of the West, from the days when the Indians were indeed "Lords
of the Wild" as depicted in the picture of that title, down to the symbolic
vision of modern progress presented in "Flood-Tide of Opportunity." Mr. Innes knows his West thoroughly. He can convey in arresting manner an impression of the untamed wild, of mountain heights, of vast panoramic spaces. His brush-work is smooth but definite. There is no muddling of tones here. All is harmonious and richly mellow. An authoritative employment of effective backgrounds serves to accentuate the significance of the subject. Take the Indian group, for instance. "Silence" (1) is a painting of a lone Indian in a canoe beneath the deep canopy of night. There is a suggestion of infinite vastness in the sky. "Lords of the Wild" (2) shows a group of tepees and braves in gay colors. "Buffalo Scout" (3) indicates the Indian at his work, with a huge herd of buffalo in the distance. "Where the Blackfeet Hunt" (4) is a superb canvas, - one of the finest in the exhibition. It shows a buffalo herd in full flight, with Indians pursuing and shooting arrows. In the foreground one huge buffalo, maddened by his wounds, has just tossed an Indian from his horse, but another Indian is shooting an arrow into him at close range. The suggestion of stampeded movement is irresistable. Both drawing and composition are masterly. And the color-scheme will compel admiration. In "The Last Survivor" (14), by the way, Mr. Innes seems to have borrowed an idea from Russell's famous drawing, "The Last of the Herd." One lonely buffalo, gaunt with famine, is staggering along while skeletons around convey a grimly vivid idea of his impending doom. In "The Red Man's Reverie" (16) an old Indian is shown crouching over a fire, while in the background are shadowy visions from the past - his squaw, her baby, and others. Scenes of pioneer days are admirable in treatment and in the lucid manner with which the theme is impressed upon the mind of the spectator. In "The Pioneers' Highway" (5), "The Trading Post" (7), "The Cattle Cruiser" (19), "The Prospector" (10), "The Eternal Quest" (20), "The Engineer" (27), "The Trail Rider" (25) and "The Pathfinder" (26), the artist has succeeded in recreating the atmosphere of the past so that the imagination is stimulated by what the eye beholds. The Royal North-West Mounted Police - as they were known then - figure vividly in these records of bygone days, and there is drama and tragedy, as well as the note of eternal hope to be discerned. Mr. Innes has achieved a permanent historic record on canvas in these paintings, which will grow in value as the years go by, and which constitute today a fascinating series of visions from the storied past. |