In the tradition of the distinguished Douglas & McIntyre art program, this lavishly illustrated and superbly printed book is a rich, readable history of abstract painting in Canada. The story begins in the 1920s with the sometimes eccentric but remarkable work, rooted in symbolism and theosophy, of pioneers such as Kathleen Munn, Bertram Brooker and Lawren Harris. Two decades later the Automatistes-Canada's first truly independent avant-garde art movement-burst onto the scene in Montreal. After the Second World War, the urge to abstraction spread across Canada, manifesting itself in significant regional movements. Vancouver painters retained a British flavour, while in Toronto, the Painters Eleven looked south to New York. Montreal's Plasticiens launched their own razor-edged interpretation of the European tradition of geometric abstraction. In the sixties and seventies, the Prairies were influenced by Clement Greenberg's post-painterly abstraction, while Halifax became a hub of conceptual art and concrete painting. The book continues through the eighties and nineties, during which critics largely denounced painting, and concludes in the twenty-first century, with abstract painting alive and well again in the studios of Canada's young artists. A monumental tome containing 200 color reproductions, it mines a rich vein of art history ripe for international discovery.

Identifies and summarizes thousands of books, article, exhibition catalogues, government publications, and theses published in many countries and in several languages from the early nineteenth century to 1981.

Since its first appearance in 1967, Russell Harper's classic study of Canadian painting has been recognized as the outstanding authority on the subject. This edition provides a comprehensive survey, generously illustrated, of three centuries of Canadian painting from its beginnings in the seventeenth century. Through a lively combination of entertaining anecdotes, descriptions of the cultural background, biographical accounts, and critical judgement, the reader comes to know intimately the artists, their paintings, and their environments. Included are 173 reproductions - 45 added since the first addition. They all ow the reader to see representative works from all periods, and provide a visual record of the cultural and social history of Canada.

Brings together all of the writings of Northrop Frye, both published and unpublished, on the subject of Canadian literature and culture, from his early book reviews of the 1930s and 1940s through his cultural commentaries of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Arguably, public art is experienced daily by more people than most offerings in galleries, yet our notion of what constitutes public art is surprisingly limited. Public Art in Canada broadens the critical discussion by exploring public art's varied means of engaging with public space and the public sphere. Annie Gérin and James S. McLean have assembled contributions from new and established Canadian scholars, curators, and artists. Each contributor enlivens our understanding of public art as a practice and its place in the social and aesthetic formation of which it is a part. As a result, the book provides an overview of the current debates in the field of public art that are informed by the theories and critical literature of art history, communication studies, cultural studies, sociology, and urban studies. The rigorous essays and original works of art collected in this volume present a compelling demonstration of the strategies, aesthetic and otherwise, used by artists to elicit intellectual, sensual, or emotional responses that can only be obtained through artistic practices in public places. Public Art in Canada is a major contribution to the study of Canadian art and culture.

None of these painters was motivated solely by mystical concerns; each of them also painted works which were of a secular or non-spiritual nature. None the less, they were all deeply interested in and concerned about matters mystical. Through a careful examination of the primary documentation Ann Davis looks at the sources of their beliefs in Christianity, transcendentalism, and theosophy and theories of the fourth dimension, and attempts to put some of their major works into new contexts so that familiar paintings can be seen in a new and revealing mystical way.

"The National Gallery of Canada: Ideas, Art, and Architecture examines the National Gallery as an institution, a collection, and a series of sites for the display of the nation's art. Douglas Ord explores how, throughout the gallery's development, art has consistently been linked to notions of religious truth, national spirit, and hallowed atmosphere, culminating in Moshe Safdie's design for the institution's current building. Integrating accounts of political intrigue and public controversy with philosophy, art theory, and architectural analysis, Ord provides vivid accounts of successive directors' struggles to obtain a permanent home for the nation's art and sheds light on the place and the role of art in Canada."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

Joan Murray discusses social and political events in combination with the movements, ideas, attitudes, styles, and important groups in Canadian art of this century.

The story of artists in Western Canada, and how they changed the face of Canadian art “Listen to the visual voices of artists. They tell us so poignantly who we are, what we must cherish, and what we must address as a society.” Patricia Bovey Throughout her remarkable career as a gallery director, curator, and author, Patricia Bovey has tirelessly championed the work of Western Canadian artists. Western Voices in Canadian Art brings this lifelong passion to a crescendo, delivering the most ambitious survey of Western Canadian Art to date. Beginning with the earliest European-trained artists in Western Canada, and moving up to present day, Bovey amplifies the depth, scope, and importance of the diverse artists (both settler and Indigenous) whose distinct voices have contributed to the Western Canadian artistic tradition. Bovey then adopts a thematic approach, richly informed by her knowledge and experience, connecting art and artists through time and across provincial boundaries. Insights from Bovey’s studio visits and conversations with artists enhance our understandings of the history and trajectory of, and impetus for Canadian artistic creation. Lavishly illustrated with over 250 works reproduced in full colour, Western Voices in Canadian Art is a book that needs to be seen, and its artists and art celebrated.