Arthur Heming - 1870-1940 - 5

A fabulous painting by Canada's master historical artist Arthur Heming.

This stunning painting, illustrating a part of the Canadian experience, hung in Canada House in London, UK, for many years.

Arthur used his fabulous mastery of light to tell a story, to elevate a simple canoeing picture to convey how the men felt as they travelled to a new land.

Emerging from the enveloping and threatening jaws of a gloomy canyon (read life in Britain's choking, dark, and fetid tenements) the hearts of the pioneers are lifted up as they face a new dawn, with new possibilities, in a new land.

Arthur has created a powerful metaphor for the Canadian experience for countless immigrants.