Visual

Visual Arts in Canada

Paul-Émile Borduas, Alex Colville, Emily Carr, Tom Thompson, Alfred Pelland, Michael Snow, Jean-Paul Lemieux, Bill Reid and Norval Morisseau are all names that represent moments in the history of visual arts in Canada. Today, contemporary artists like Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Attila Richard Lukacs, Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller are taking up the mantle.

Canadian painting and sculpture have been part of the international art scene for the last century. From the realistic representations of landscapes and everyday life to the abstract and sometimes controversial depictions of social issues, Canadian artists have consistently challenged the view that Canadians have of themselves and the view that the world has of Canada.

Art in Canada is actually thousands of years old. We are still in the early stages in the discovery of Aboriginal art, through archaeological and ethnological work performed from coast to coast. Canadians, and indeed the world, is only beginning to appreciate the sophistication and mastery of this almost forgotten treasure.

Today, an assembly of tradition, innovation, and avant-garde thinking is making advances in Canadian art move at the same speed as advances in communications and new media. The traditions are not forgotten, but technology is taking its place, and arts exhibitions, sales and promotion are now happening over the Internet.

On this backdrop, Canadian artists continue to produce beacons on the path of Canadian history.