Totem Poles, No. 4 (Departing People), 1926

Galerie Valentin, Montreal Private Collection, Montreal

Rosalind Pepall and Brian Foss, “Edwin Holgate”, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2005, illustrated page 58, cat. no. 160

An accomplished painter, illustrator and muralist, Edwin Holgate was also instrumental in the revival of woodblock printing following the First World War. Holgate applied modernist principles to the traditional medium, making expert use of black and white contrast to emphasize his dynamic compositions. In 1926, Holgate travelled to British Columbia along with his friend A.Y Jackson and the anthropologist Marius Barbeau. The group visited Gitxsan territory on the Skeena River, sketching totem poles and First Nations villages in the region. Barbeau emphasized the potency of the totem pole as a Canadian symbol, and Holgate depicted the iconic artifacts repeatedly in his paintings and prints. “Totem Poles, No. 4 (Departing People)”, was created as part of a series of eight woodblock prints based on the excursion. Holgate presents the totems in silhouette, dramatizing their presence with outlines and solid, black forms. The figures standing on the shore echo the totems, and their postures and deep shadows add a sense of melancholy to the image. Their simplified forms are contrasted with the detailed, undulating landscape. Holgate taught wood engraving at the École des beaux-arts in Montréal, attracting praise and notoriety for his influential print work.