The Logic of Ecstasy: Canadian Mystical Painting, 1920-1940

Denise C. Jakal is an architecture writer in Edmonton.

Much art history of the mid–20th century emphasized the formal
evolution of art, tracing a linear development from the Italian
Renaissance to the American Abstract Expressionists. Histories of
Canadian art were no different. Shifting away from an emphasis on
formalism, Davis’s work attempts to provide a new context in which
pivotal pieces of Canadian art can be understood. The Logic of Ecstasy
succeeds in much the same way Richard Shiff’s Cézanne and the End of
Impressionism (1984) did—by stripping off layers of accumulated
meanings, she reaches back to the time and place of a painting’s
creation. This is accomplished by providing a more specific
understanding of the historical moment and by re-creating the artist’s
intentions and expectations of his or her work.

Given that Davis’s argument is founded on a close examination of the
images, it is no surprise that The Logic of Ecstasy project began as an
exhibition for the London Regional Art and Historical Museums. Woven
from strong formal analysis, primary documents (such as the artists’
diaries, letters, and essays), and contemporary writing (on mysticism,
theosophy, and transcendentalism), her thesis has depth and breadth
despite its narrow focus. Davis’s decision to concentrate on the work
of five well-known artists—Emily Carr, Lawren Harris, Frederick
Varley, Bertram Brooker, and Jock Macdonald—over a 20-year span marked
by a move toward abstraction, was a wise one. While convincing us of the
spiritual dimensions of their work, the implications of a widespread
interest in mysticism deepen our understanding of the period in general.

Davis’s arguments occasionally take unexpected turns, as, for
example, in her discussion of Varley’s famous painting Dhвrвna. In
some passages, an overreliance on long quotations makes her writing
choppy and redundant. Nonetheless, this nicely produced and
well-illustrated volume makes a real contribution to art history in
Canada.