Like Canada itself, Canada's visual art tradition is multi-faceted and richly diverse. From the petroglyphs of c5000 BC to early twentieth-century landscape paintings to cutting-edge multi-media installation pieces in the twenty-first century, Canadians have used a range of visual media to document Canada and Canadian experiences. Through a survey of Canada's visual art, we see artists using visual media to convey landscape, depict its people and their way of life, provide aesthetic experiences to challenge and inspire Canadians to reflect upon about Canada and what it means to be Canadian.
In this section, you will have the opportunity to survey a time-line of Canadian art from its pre-historic beginnings to today's latest artistic endeavors and explore subunits such as Native Art, Inuit Art, Contemporary Art, Landscape Painting as well as case studies of several of Canada's major artists.
In addition to the factual material and visual reproductions, you will be invited to explore topics of interest through the various Learning Activities placed within each unit. These activities can individually or in groups as a way to further interact with Canada's vibrant visual art history.
Painting
Native Art
Architecture
Sculpture
Photography
Folk Art
Installation Art
Issues and Topics related to Visual Art in Canada