“Prudence Heward often portrayed her female subjects as objective and “not appealing”, projecting women’s struggles. In her paintings, the background and the figure are always dissonant: the background is simplified, but the figure is detailed and sculptural, creating an uncoordinated feeling. The portrait Anna caught my attention because of the subject’s miserable facial expression. The figure without beautification makes me perceive she is a naturally existing person, not a goddess. The disconnect between Anna and her environment makes me believe she is unsatisfied with the status quo. In response, I played on this sense of dissonance with my self-portrait, placing it against a disorienting cityscape to express the confusing experience of the misalignment between my thoughts and Canadian cultural norms. The painting conveys how overwhelmed I felt after I immigrated to Canada.”

–Lok Yiu Janice Lee (Grade 12, Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, Manitoba)

In her portraits featuring solitary or groups of young women, Prudence Heward (1896–1947) often depicted her subject matter with unflinching honesty. Anna was the first work by Heward purchased by the National Gallery of Canada.