The pictorial tradition
Ontario art was based early on the art forms then in favour in France and England. In its infancy, Canadian painting was primarily religious. Father Hugues Pommier left France for Quebec City in 1662 and composed easel paintings inspired solely by faith. Then, in the early 19th century, portraiture enjoyed considerable success in that part of the world. By the middle of the century, Toronto artists such as Georges Théodore Berthon filled the role of official portrait artists. But in 1842, cheap photography made its appearance, bringing the great age of the painted portrait to an end. Painters were forced to renew themselves to keep up with the competition. In Ontario, Robert Whale turned to decorative painting and became a popular landscape painter, as shown in The Canada Southern Railway at Niagara, of which he made several copies for sale. Romanticism quickly took hold in Canada and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was founded in this spirit. The great names of the early years of the Academy were Robert Harris, Homer Watson, Otto Jacobi and John A. Fraser, who collaborated with photographer Notman. The Academy's refusal to allow art to evolve in its own right was not unrelated to the emergence of a new Canadian painting.
The great turning point
The 20th century saw the emergence of a harmonious art with a naïve charm, marked by a strong taste for bright colors. In this context, and more particularly following the Armory Show of 1913, Canadian art made a decisive shift under the influence of the Group of Seven. These Toronto landscape painters, who came from the advertising industry, set out to redefine their country's pictorial identity by painting the vast natural expanses in their proper perspective. With a keen sense of form and movement, they claimed to be influenced by Post-Impressionism, advertising art and Scandinavian painting. Their influence was felt by several generations of artists.
As a result, Canadian painting became internationally recognized and flourished within the major art movements. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO ) has many paintings by the Seven in its 90,000-piece collection, which also includes works by Tintoretto, Van Gogh, Picasso and Henry Moore. The museum also has a rich collection of Canadian and European photography and sculpture.Independent artists
Paul Kane (1810-1871) was an Irish-Canadian painter who grew up in Toronto (then called York). A true self-taught artist, he was best known for his figurative paintings of Native American life, which were a valuable source for ethnologists. In 1937, he was declared a national historic figure
James Wilson Morrice (1865-1924), a Canadian expatriate who died in Tunis, was well aware of the artistic developments of his time. He studied at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Toronto. He stayed away from Canadian trends, preferring to be associated with the Parisian movements, especially with his friend Matisse, and with the avant-garde of the time. Morrice was the first Canadian to achieve worldwide fame
David Milne (1882-1953) painted vivid landscapes in the Fauvist style. He was the only Canadian to participate in the Armory Show and was featured alongside Matisse in the catalog of the famous American exhibition. A painter, watercolorist, draftsman and printmaker, this outstanding experimental artist is considered more impressionistic than the Group of Seven. Milne represented his country at the 1952 Venice Biennale
Carl Shaefer (1903-1995), like other regional artists, sought to depict rural Ontario in a poetic manner, even attempting an allegorical approach. He studied at the Ontario College of Art under two members of the Group of Seven and later taught in Toronto
Tony Urquhart (1934-2022) was recognized early in his career as one of the pioneers of abstraction in this country, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Among his most famous works are the famous articulated "boxes" inspired by liturgical furniture. He was also an advocate for professional artists along with Jack Chambers and Kim Ondaatje. He was invested into the Order of Canada in 1985.
The Society of Canadian Sculptors
The Sculptors Society of Canada was founded by prominent Canadian sculptors and has been exhibiting and promoting Canadian sculpture since 1928. Created by Emanuel Hahn, Frances Loring and Henri Hébert, the association's mission is to develop this artistic activity while promoting Canadian sculpture both locally and internationally. The SSC's involvement is supported by galleries, festivals and museums including the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the National Gallery of Canada and the Ravenna Biennale in Italy. Travelling exhibitions have taken their work to Europe, across the United States and to the first Beijing International Biennale in 2003. The organization hosts exhibitions and debates at its Distillery Historic District location, supports young talent and encourages innovative contemporary visual art.
Photographic art
Photography emerged as a medium of artistic expression in the second half of the 20th century. The National Gallery of Canada
in Ottawa wanted to highlight this development with the exhibition "Photography in Canada, 1960-2000" which brought together images from the Canadian Institute of Photography. The CPI was both a home for new talent and a center for historical archives, and held one of the world's most comprehensive collections of photographs and related materials, which is still accessible at the Gallery.Among the most representative photographers, urban artist Jeff Thomas (b. 1956) addresses the issue of identity by exploring local histories from an Aboriginal perspective. Artist Suzy Lake (b. 1947) creates feminist and conceptual works that combine photography, performance, video, drawing and printmaking. Claire Beaugrand-Champagne (b. 1948) was the first female press photographer in Quebec and is renowned for her striking images that tell the human condition in Quebec communities.
The reputation of Canadian photography owes much to Edward Burtynsky. Born in 1955, he is the founder of Toronto Image Works, a laboratory and center for film and digital photography. An outraged environmentalist, Burtynsky explores the impact of civilization on the environment and says he tries "to access a universal resonance through my work. His work is included in the permanent collections of some sixty major museums around the world.Public art
Opened in 1981, the Toronto Sculpture Garden is located in a small park across from St. James Cathedral. The garden is open to the public and hosts two annual exhibitions of sculptures commissioned by the city to provide artists with a unique experience outside of their studios
Street art has officially taken its place on the streets of Toronto since the creation of the StART program, which specifically supports art in public spaces. This large-scale project focuses on involving communities in the beautification of the streets. In doing so, StART hopes to encourage soft modes of transportation such as walking and cycling. To play the game, there's nothing like a stroll through Kensington Market, the bohemian neighborhood where it's good to bargain. With its thrift stores, craft stores and organic businesses, it's a real open-air museum. The Orbital Arts alley is entirely covered with graffiti. A little further south on 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 favorite playground for local and international artists. Huge, colorful frescoes up to several meters high are intertwined with each other. The adjacent streets also hide their graphic treasures. Not to be missed: the gigantic aquarium of the Canadian artist Uber5000 whose vision of the underwater world makes you smile. For the anecdote, the portraits titled Remove me refer to the mayor Rob Ford who went on a graffiti hunt in 2011, arming himself with a water jet. His gesture continues to inspire graffiti artists. Another good address for street art is Ossington Laneway, a street where residents tired of seeing their garage doors damaged have solicited the intervention of street artists to decorate them. In Underpass Park, under the road bridges in the West Don Lands area, the city has created community spaces that have been quickly taken over by urban artists such as British artist Phlegm. To discover all the murals in and around the city, visit theArtworxTO website (www.artworxto.ca), which has a map with all the locations. Finally, we recommend the Yorkville Murals Festival in August, an annual eight-day event devoted entirely to urban art and contemporary murals
Art Toronto
Since 2000, this modern and contemporary art fair has been one of Canada's major annual events. Held annually in October, it offers a unique access to the art market by bringing together local and international galleries in the heart of downtown. Its conferences and meetings, open to all, are led by personalities from the international art scene.
