Representing Canada in Conflict War Art Representing Canada in Conflict

What is War Art in First World War The Canadian war art collection is a number of paintings created by official and unofficial painters stationed in both the home front and on the front lines. The collection as a whole consists of over 13,000 paintings Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrooke) creates the Canadian War Records Office Canadian War artists Advisory Committee issues eight commissions for war artists. It included artists in the trenches, on the home front, women and men and future members of the Group of Seven like Arthur Lismer, A.Y. Jackson and Fredrick Varley. Beaverbrooke Thought painting would be the perfect way to document the experience of war. Why do you think that is?

Paintings vs. Photos Photographs strive for realism. They frame “reality” by placing subjects inside and outside the frame. They purport to tell the truth of things. Paintings are impressionistic and expressionistic. They try to show the “truth” of an event from the perspective of the artists. They convey feeling as much as the “reality” of things. What are the strengths and limitations of each? Which is better for historians trying to understand the past?

The Paintings in the Senate http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/WarPainting s/paintings-e.asp Analyze each painting Taken as a whole what story do the images tell?

The Homefront

The Home front Con’t

The Home front Con’t

The Frontline

The Frontline Con’t

The Frontline Con’t

Creating Your Own Images Imagine that you are a war artist for Canada during the First World War. Create one image each that helps to tell the story of the First World War as a group. Present your images to the class and explain how they convey the experience of the First World War.