Canada's Art

   The art in Canada is a representation of a mixture among three different cultures; French, British and Aboriginal. Due to colonization, first by French people and after by British people. This mixture is appreciated in architecture, painting and sculpture among others.

   The original people from Canada are the natives, who had development the painting over 5000 years, for instance the pictography, sculptures and petroglyphs. Also, the first expressions of art were created with stone like a human smiling head made with this material.

   We refer a mixture because when the French colonized Canada, they reproduced their architecture, for this reason the art in Canada had the same elements that France during a certain period of time, while they governed the country was constructed a fortified manors like Maisonneuve’s Pointe-à-Callières fort located in Montreal. Also, they built; churches, convents, cathedrals and headquarters.

   A similar situation occurred with the British; they arrived to Canada and reproduced their art. As a date, after the war they reconstructed the churches following the original plan of the French. But a contribution was the “Topographic landscape”. It is a type of painting that was inspired in the landscape of Canada, when the British watched it for first time were very fascinated. An exponent of this type of art is Thomas Davies, who painted several works of art.

   The British art was focalized in ornamental painting; on the contrary the French art was focalized in the religion, not only in painting if not in sculpture too with the introduction of altars for Churches made in wood, with the objective of adorning.

   The painting passed through many phases, however the most important were three; the Luis XV, Georgian and Victorian. All of them part of British and French art.

   Certainly, the oldest art in Canada is the Native Art with pieces over 5000 years ago. Also, this art is more complex that other pieces because is composed by carvings in stone and is divided by three phases; Prehistoric art, Post contact art, and Contemporary Native Art.

   The Prehistoric art is a period of Canada native art at least known, but the information said that the first ‘find’ was in 16th century. The recent discovery included a little carved human figure, this object was found in Glenrose and is 3000 years ago. This type of art made in stone survived easily in the climate of Canada, on the contrary the pieces made in wood could not survived by the acid soils.

   Not only there is diversity in art of this period since style, genre, and meaning. Also there are pieces from different years with influence of pottery, agriculture, etc. About the pottery, the Iroquoian culture had a technical quality for decorating these pieces.

   The Post-contact Art or historic art, it was divided by different groups according to zone, in total 7 regional subdivisions; Eastern Subarctic, Western Subartic, South Great Lakes and Upper St Lawrence Valley, Plateau, Northwest Coast and Artic.

   Contemporary Native Art is the rise of three great native arts; Inuit, West Coast Native and Woodlands.

   The Inuit art is very known for its “Printmaking” and the sculpture and its years of glory are 1960’s and 1970’s. The Woodlands is related to pottery, and elements of the Archaic and Paleo-Indian periods.

  The West Coast Native is an art marked by the style and forms. The forms are ever continuous and fluid. Some of these pieces of art are focalized mainly in religious figures like spirits but there are representations of songs and dance among others. Examples are Potlaches which are representations about pomp events; Crest, which are a heraldic art, and is related to animals; Winter Dance treat about different things that help for creating the illusion of fantasy. Shamanic Art, this is the religious art similar to Inuit culture, with the creation of element based on spirits of animals. 
   
   In conclusion, the art in Canada is the result of a mixture among these three very different cultures, with this they created a special sample of art, where we can find the great Manors from France, the decorations in Church made by the British and always elements of Native people, who expressed their beliefs through pottery, sculptures, carvings and paintings all in this just country.

François-Marc Gagnon, Art general, the Canadian encyclopedia 2012 Historica-Dominion. 
George Swinton, Inuit Art, the Canadian encyclopedia 2012 Historica-Dominion 
Joan M. Vastokas, Native Art, the Canadian encyclopedia 2012 Historica-Dominion
Marjorie M. Halpin, Northwest Coast Native Art, the Canadian encyclopedia 2012 Historica-Dominion