In the Calumet Rapids , 1932

W. Roy Cole Joyner Fine Art, auction, Toronto, 22 May 1998, lot 59 Private Collection, Ontario

Joseph-Charles Taché, “Forestiers et voyageurs”, Montreal, 1863, page 179 Cassandra Getty, et al., “Arthur Heming, Chronicler of the North”, Museum London, 2013, pages 9-11

Arthur Heming gained international recognition during his career for his dramatic paintings of the Canadian wilderness, “symbolizing the country as a mythic ‘Great White North’ in the minds of millions”, according to Cassandra Getty. Heming’s livelihood was as a dynamic creator of illustrations for books and publications. As Getty notes, Heming was “a colourblind nature advocate. Though his imagery was derided by some as being anti-intellectual, as ‘merely’ illustration, he remained deeply committed to the merit of illustration and its strong influence on his production.” “In the Calumet Rapids” of 1932 is a forceful and brightly coloured canvas by Heming. Measuring 30 x 40 inches, the large composition radiates energy. The exaggerated action of a raft crashing over the rapids of the rushing Ottawa River, being tossed and turned by the current of the water, the men clinging on for life, is a moment of heightened drama. Calumet Island on the Ottawa River acted as a link in the western route to the Great Lakes. It was one of the roughest sections of the Ottawa River that was traversed by missionaries, fur traders and loggers - now beloved by white water rafter enthusiasts. As Joseph-Charles Taché recalls of the Calumet Rapids in his 1863 publication on the lives of voyageurs: “a small platform of sorts is erected in the middle and the men climb up on it once they have entered the terrible currents, to avoid being swept away by the water rushing over the floor of the raft. It is terrifying to see these men entering this dangerous passage: at first, they paddle fiercely, on one side then on the other…once the raft is engaged in the channel and man’s efforts are for naught, the oars are pulled out and, throwing themselves on the mercy of the powerful waters, the raftmen clamber onto the platform and cling to it, as they and their craft rush toward the roaring and swirling torrent below.”  Heming has certainly captured the electrifying moment of man succumbing to the power of nature in this highly romantic image, vividly reflecting the adventure that Heming sought and experienced on his rugged travels throughout the backcountry of Canada. Heming’s power as a painter was in his conviction to depict thrilling, sometimes tragic incidents, leaving depictions of the softer, more sentimental side of nature to his contemporaries.