William Kurelek was born into a Ukrainian immigrant family, and his sympathies for the hard-working immigrants of the Prairie farming communities, such as Ukrainian Orthodox and Jewish, often emerged in his work. This is a striking image—both a sympathetic portrait of new immigrants and a stunning landscape—with Kurelek contrasting a close-up view of a passing train car with the lofty perspective over the lake. Kurelek’s characteristic attention to detail is marvellous here, giving much for the eye to linger over. Through the carriage windows, he has captured a variety of reactions to the scenery among the passengers—some people sleep, while a boy looks out with keen interest, as do the adults, their expressions ranging from fascination to apprehension. The locomotive, spewing smoke from its stack, is about to enter a dark tunnel—symbolic of the immigrants entering into the unknown of a new life in Canada. Kurelek’s choice of the dramatic Lake Superior setting makes us feel the sense of awe the travelers themselves must have felt at the scale and beauty of the raw landscape.

This work is in the original frame made by Kurelek.