Aboriginal Art
The oldest artistic tradition can be found in Ontario's many rock art sites. In these ritual places intended for communion between humans and spirits, petroglyphs, engraved incisions, share the walls with pictographs, painted on the rock. Not far from Peterborough is Petroglyphs Provincial Park, which contains the largest known concentration of Aboriginal rock carvings in the country. Also recommended are Lake Superior Provincial Park near Wawa and Lake of the Woods in the northwestern part of the province.
Aboriginal people have also practiced a traditional art since time immemorial (see "What to report"). But artists have been able to renew themselves by using other materials and new artistic processes, while continuing to draw inspiration from their cultural heritage, inventing a new language in the tradition of shamans. Today we are witnessing the emergence of avant-garde Amerindian art. Examples include Benjamin Chee-Chee, of Ojibway origin, who produced abstract and geometric works, and Norval Morrisseau, an Anishinabe artist who created the pictorial style inspired by Native legends. Then there is the artist Kent Monkman, well known for his representations of the Amerindians in art. He deals with the power relationship between the white and native communities through the themes of conquest, xenophobia and homophobia. There is also Christi Belcourt, a Métis artist named the 2014 winner of the Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award
Birth of Ontario Art
An art inspired by European masters emerged in Ontario in the 19th century. These painters responded mainly to commissions from the Church and the bourgeoisie. Religious works and family portraits dominated their productions. Soon, portraiture enjoyed considerable success and Toronto artists such as Georges Théodore Berthon made a name for himself as an official portrait painter.
In 1842, cheap photography made its appearance in Canada, marking the end of the great era of the painted portrait. Painters were forced to renew themselves to keep up with the competition. Some turned to landscape, composed to the glory of the immense virgin territory, others to pastoral scenes. Encouraged by collectors, artists specialized, such as Cornelius Krieghoff, who depicted the rustic life of the new inhabitants, or landscape painter Robert Whale, who turned to decorative painting and popular landscapes such as The Canada Southern Railway at Niagara
, of which he made several copies for sale. The founding of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, resistant to change, was not unrelated to the emergence of a new Canadian painting.At the turn of the 20th century
A wave of Ontario artists are moving to Europe. Among these painters who were born in Ontario, but lived a long part of their lives in France, James Wilson Morrice was strongly influenced by European painters, particularly the Impressionists and Matisse.
In the early years of the twentieth century, seven Ontario landscape painters came together to create a truly Canadian art form. Under the influence of Tom Thomson, whose landscapes offered a unique view of the Canadian Shield, the Group of Seven was formed after his untimely death in 1917. The movement, founded in Toronto in 1920, included Franklin Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Franz Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley, all of whom came from advertising. These landscape painters set out to redefine Canada's pictorial identity by composing vast expanses of land and using vivid colours. With a keen sense of form and movement, they claimed to be influenced by post-impressionism, advertising art and Scandinavian painting. Their decisive influence will be exerted on several generations of artists. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has many paintings of the Seven among the 95,000 pieces in its collection, which also includes paintings by Tintoretto, Van Gogh and Picasso. The museum also has a rich collection of Canadian and European photography and sculpture.After the Group of Seven
With the First World War, artists moved away from landscape painting to more social themes. These included the paintings of Peraskeva Clark and Carl Schaefer, and Alex Colville, who enlisted in the Canadian Army under the "war artist" program. During his four years of service in Europe, he was one of Canada's most famous war artists. Among other things, he painted the landing at Juno Beach during Operation Neptune.
After the Second World War, painting was dominated by the Automatists (Riopelle), then by the Plasticians, who launched the abstract art movement. The latter took off in Quebec with painters such as Riopelle and Borduas and attracted Lawren Harris and the Group of Eleven (Painters Eleven, active between 1954 and 1960). One of the prominent members of this group, John Hamilton Bush, known as "Jack Bush," was considered a major Canadian representative of Abstract Expressionism and Colorfield Painting
Photographic art
Photography has had its place in the Canadian artistic panorama since its infancy. It asserted itself as a means of artistic expression in the second half of the 20th century, as evidenced by the rich collection of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
The Ontario photographer Evergon, born in 1946, stands out for his self-portraits and photographic works that are visually close to traditional European painting and his use of photocollage. Urban photographer Jeff Thomas (b. 1956) addresses the issue of identity by exploring local histories from an indigenous perspective. Suzy Lake (b. 1947) imagines feminist and conceptual works that combine photography, performance, video, drawing and printmaking.
The reputation of Canadian photography owes much to Edward Burtynsky. Born in 1955, he is the founder of the Toronto Image Works, a laboratory and centre for film and digital photography. A rebellious ecologist, Burtynsky explores the impact of civilization on the environment and says he is trying "to achieve universal resonance through my work. His works are part of the permanent collections of major museums around the world.
Public art
Whether in Ottawa or Toronto, art and the street go hand in hand. In Canada's Capital, murals, sculptures, miniatures and graffiti abound throughout the downtown core, especially along the Rideau Canal, which is dotted with painted works. Near the National Arts Centre, a sculpture of a stylized violin was donated by Mexico. In the historic ByWard Market area, the frescoes can be seen on the walls of Dalhousie Street. At the corner of George Street, a whale and a hunter were born of the collaboration between the Ottawa School of Art and young Inuit artists. Around the corner, a myriad of mythical animals share the space with stunning urban sculptures, including 14 bronze alley cats scattered around the Murray Street parking lot. Then just behind the National Gallery, Nepean Point, with its breathtaking panoramic view, is home to urban sculptures.
Toronto is not to be outdone, far from it. Scottish sculptor Henry Moore's creation, erected in the heart of Nathan Phillips Square and entitled The Archer, paved the way for public art in 1966. The Distillery Historic District, with its many pedestrian streets full of art installations, and the sixty or so life-size geese hanging in the Eaton Centre, a work by Michael Snow, are also worth mentioning. But what attracts urban art lovers to Toronto is undeniably street art. It has officially had its place on the city's streets since the creation of the StART program, which specifically supports art in public spaces. Kensington Market, the bohemian neighbourhood where it's good to go shopping, is a good example. Between its second-hand shops, craft shops and organic shops, it is a veritable open-air museum, including the Orbital Arts alley, which is entirely covered in graffiti. A little further south of Queen Street between Spadina Avenue and Portland Street is Rush Lane, also known as Graffiti Alley. A symbol of the StART program, this mile-long alley has become a favourite playground for local and international artists. Huge colourful frescoes up to several metres high intertwine with each other. The adjacent streets also hide their graphic treasures. Other good addresses for street art: Ossington Laneway, Underpass Park (under the road bridges in the West Don Lands area)
Of course, public art is not limited to these two big cities. One need only think of the thirty or so murals that adorn downtown Midland or the impressive Time sculpture by Kosso Eloul in Kingston's Breakwater Park
Contemporary art
To discover Ontario's contemporary artists, both established and emerging, visit the Ottawa Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Canada, both in the capital, or the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA), the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and The Power Plant in Toronto. The Art Gallery of Hamilton, just steps away from the Greater Toronto Area, and the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie are also excellent locations, as is the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, dedicated to contemporary Aboriginal art.
